


Edge of Seventeen

by SarahLannister



Series: The Adventures of Evie Keogh [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Characters Suffering From PTSD, Dean and Evie Get Married, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Elements of Non-Con, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jack Is Lovelorn, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Mentions of Grief/Loss of Family, Mentions of Major Character Death In Alternative Time Line, Mentions of Near Death Experiences, Mentions of Past Torture, Mentions of Pregnancy, Multi, Overprotective Dean Winchester, Post-Apocalypse, Precious Cinnamon Roll Jack, Ripping Holes In The Space-Time Continuam, Romance, Sassy Winchester Daughter, Seventeen Year Olds In Love, Slightly Underage Smut, Swearing, pop culture references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2019-07-15 18:37:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16068953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahLannister/pseuds/SarahLannister
Summary: The path to married domestic bliss is rarely smooth for most people and for Dean Winchester, there’s no exception. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any more complicated, the arrival of two mysterious teenagers makes for some surprising revelations...(Part Three of The Adventures of Evie Keogh Series)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes: Howdy! Here's the third part out of I-honestly-don't-know-how-many-at-this-point of Evie's adventures. I have so many plans in so many notepads, Jesus! This should be a good one.  
> Regarding updates, I will endeavor to upload a chapter on a monthly basis but my time for personal fanfiction projects is quite limited these days due to college commitments so I apologize if there are any lulls. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this latest installment and find my take on the "future shock" and "Winchester Daughter" tropes interesting.
> 
> Also regarding the Teenagers in Love and Slightly Underaged Smut tags I put here, I debated between using the Archive Warnings for Underage or just tagging accordingly.  
> Here in Ireland, the legal age of consent is 17 years old and Jack and Diana are exactly that age here. However, I understand that ages of consent differ from country to country but it's all consensual here so unless a pressing need to apply an Archive Warning crops up, I will just address this via tagging.
> 
> I hope that's okay.
> 
> If you like, feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos!
> 
> Okay, I'll shut up.
> 
> Onward!
> 
> -Chubbs

 

 

**CHAPTER ONE**

Straightening his tie for the upteenth time that morning, Dean Winchester exhaled deeply and studied his reflection in the illuminated mirror above the bathroom sink. Whilst he already knew he scrubbed up well if an occasion called for it, today was set to be the biggest in his life to date and his normally confident air was quickly deflating as the minutes ticked by at a glacial pace.

_Christ, I haven’t been this jittery since the night I lost my damn virginity…_! He thought to himself as his stomach fluttered with nerves and he tried to avoid addressing the slight peppering of grey in the otherwise perfectly gelled brown hair at his temples. Dean knew he was hurtling headfirst into his fourth decade by now but as much has he had been running on an excess of adrenaline over the past week, those little strands of undeniable ‘old age’ along his hairline didn’t just suddenly appear overnight.

In the run up to the wedding he and Evie had managed to plan on such short notice, he’d briefly toyed with the idea of dropping some serious cash on a last minute dash to a hair salon but thought better.

Knowing his luck, he’d probably wind up with some kind of crazy frosted tip monstrosity worthy of Guy Fieri…

That thought caused a weak smile to pull at the corners of his mouth and Dean couldn’t help but see every line, crease and wrinkle upon his face in high definition. He frowned and rubbed at his temples.

_Wonder if I could get away with a box or two of Just For Men…?_ He briefly pondered as he quietly fretted over his appearance before a sharp knock at the door nearly made him jump clean out of his freshly pressed midnight blue suit.

“Dude, _c’mon_ ! You got a nervous stomach or something?” Sam’s voice was mildly irritated from outside; “We gotta leave _right no_ w or we’ll be late for our slot at city hall. Don’t wanna keep the bride waiting, do we?”

“I-I’ll be right out, Sammy!” Dean called out in reply before he braced his hands on the sink and sucked in a deep, steadying breath to steel himself for what lay ahead.

Despite spending practically his entire life facing down hordes of monsters, demonic minions, ghosts, ghouls and countless other creatures that would’ve sent a lesser willed man screaming for his life, the altogether more subdued notion of walking up the aisle in just under an hour terrified him more than anything he’d faced before.

As he tried to fix his expression into a relaxed grin, Dean shook his head in a bid to shake lose the ridiculous anxieties percolating away inside his skull and focus solely on the perks.

_Get a grip, Dean… you’re only getting married, not having a prostate exam performed by friggin’ Wolverine-!_ he told himself sternly before he pulled the door open a little harder than he intended and nearly knocked Sam over striding into the small motel room they had shared for the last two days as the final preparations got underway.

“Dean, take a chill pill!” the younger man sighed, seeing the doubt on his brother’s face as he fiddled with the small pale lily in his breast pocket; “I get it, marriage is scary but hey, you’ll be great! It’s _Evie_ . She’s the best thing that ever happened to you. To _all_ of us.”

“I-I know, Sammy. Just some stupid last minute niggles, nothing crazy.” Dean grunted before he straightened the ends of his suit jacket and puffed out his chest in a bid to appear more confident.

“H-How do I look?”

Sam grinned broadly and adjusted his own black sleeves, nodding in approval.

“You’ll knock her dead, bro. C’mon, let’s get you married!”

Watching as his brother grabbed the keys to the Impala from where they lay atop the nearby breakfast bar, Dean flapped his lips and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets, hoping the cold sweat wouldn’t leave ugly stains on the fabric before he mentally slapped himself upside the head once more and followed Sam out of the motel into the parking lot.

At some point over the past forty-eight hours, Sam had managed to decorate the Impala with some simple but colourful plastic flowers stuck to the side mirrors and along the dashboard, a silver and gold banner baring the words _“JUST MARRIED_ ” threatening to obscure the view from the back window along with a number of obligatory tin cans tied to the exhaust pipe.

Sam stood expectantly at the driver’s door watching his brother round the car and slide into the front passenger seat. Once Dean was settled, he started up the engine and pulled out of the lot, heading east in the direction of city hall...

* * *

 

 

Meanwhile, in another bathroom a few minutes across town, Evie Keogh sat inside a cramped stall perched upon the toilet seat, her breathing edging dangerously close to the beginnings of a panic attack.

Focusing on keeping each inhalation steady and measured, she attempted to calm herself and concentrate on her impending nuptials but no matter how hard she tried, there was no ignoring the enormous weight of the small plastic stick that she gripped tightly in her hands.

Despite Sam quickly bouncing back after a solid twenty four hours of some wicked food poisoning following last weeks jaunt to that questionable Mexican restaurant, there had been no end in sight to the debilitating nausea that seemed to only grow worse with each passing day as Evie began to believe her normally infallible iron stomach had betrayed her.

Yet despite living on mostly crackers, toast and other simple bland fare all week, when Castiel’s grace failed to cure her misery, Evie began to panic.

Deluding herself into thinking it was just nervous anticipation making her stomach act up, she had denied the one other glaring possibility right up until half an hour ago when, as another wave hit, she managed to discreetly swipe a pregnancy test off the drug store shelf whilst running to the bathroom to empty her body of food for the second time that morning.

Once she had finished vomiting up mostly water and toast and cleaned herself up, she could no longer stand not knowing once and for all and so, screaming internally all the while, she took the test and waited with baited breath for the longest thirty seconds of her life.

The results blinked up at her from the simple grey digital screen in bold capital letters:

 

_PREGNANT._

 

“Everlyn, are you okay?” Castiel’s concerned voice came from outside the stall and Evie bit her lip to keep from sobbing.

Scraping at her face to dispel the tears and quietly thank whoever invented waterproof mascara, she huffed out a breath and stood upright smoothing the wrinkles from her simple white Maxi dress before unlocking the door and emerging on trembling legs.

Castiel stood before her dressed in a cream coloured suit with a powder blue tie and shirt and though she had first thought he looked positively angelic all dressed up for the big day, her mind was racing at Warp Speed Ten Thousand with panic and worry over the positive result she’d just recieved.

“I brought you some dental supplies. I know you can’t abide the taste of strong mouthwash but this one appears to a reasonably milder brand-”the angel started as he held up a bottle of purple Listerine and peered at the label but a sob escaped Evie’s lips despite all efforts to conceal it and he looked up with wide eyes, stashing the supplies on the countertop.

He was about to ask her what was wrong but his gaze fell to the telltale pregnancy test in her shaking hand and he closed his eyes momentarily, nodding once before casting her a sheepish expression.

“ _Ah_. That.”

“Please tell me this is _not happening_ !” Evie whimpered as she grabbed the mouthwash bottle, twisted the cap and knocked back a large glug of the menthol liquid before gargling and spitting hard into the nearest sink, her fingers white-knuckling the counter. “This is the _last_ thing I need right now!”

“I’m sorry, Everlyn. I wish I could’ve told you about this sooner but as I understand it, it tends to be something of a rite of passage for a woman to do a test to determine a pregnancy-”Castiel started only to duck as she whipped the test at his head.

_“You knew about this?!”_ she shrilled, her voice making his highly attuned ears throb.

Castiel nodded and shuffled his feet awkwardly on the grubby tiled floor.

“I didn’t wish to jump too quickly to conclusions but when you began getting noticeably more frisky around Sam, that’s when I began to sense the change in your aura. At that, I kept quiet as I know it’s generally regarded as bad luck to say anything so early in an unborn child’s development.”

Evie’s lip thinned dangerously as her initial dismay gave way to anger at his omission.

“What is _with_ you cosmic beings and deception?! I swear to Jesus Christ Almighty and all his carpender friends that I-I... _I will take both of your wings and pluck you like a fucking chicken for this!”_

Castiel couldn’t help it.

He beamed at her and laughed, reaching out to pull her into a warm hug. She slapped him hard across the chest twice muttering strings of colourful swear words into his shoulder before she slackened and resigned herself to loosely curling her arms around his waist.

“If you breathe a _word_ of this to Sam and Dean before the wedding, I swear on my mother’s life, Cas-!” Evie raised her head to glare right him but there was little she could do to budge the wide toothy smile etched into his features.

“Don’t worry, dear. I think I’ve gotten into enough trouble with you today but at that, at least the reason for your sickness isn’t something more serious-!”

“Castiel, I’m fucking _pregnant!_ I think that ranks pretty goddamn high on the serious list, you absolute _dick!_ ”

His chest rumbled with a deep laugh and he held her at arm’s length, his smile fond and warm as he moved to escort her out of the grotty drug store bathroom and towards the exit before stepping out onto the street where a balmy May breeze ruffled the soft waves of her raven hair.

“You’re worrying too much, Everlyn. I promise you it will be okay, at least if I have any say in the matter.”

Glancing across the street, Castiel eyed a handsome Georgian-style building that loomed over the rest upon the block. He smiled as he saw the Impala roll to a stop inside one of the parking spots outside and he patted Evie’s back reassuringly before gently moving to drape her mid-length veil over her face.

“For now, let’s focus on getting you to your wedding.” Castiel offered his arm and she scowled at him for a moment but sighed and reluctantly linked with him, taking a handful of chiffon up to avoid tripping as they strolled towards the crosswalk on the corner.

_Talk about putting the cart before the horse…!_ Evie thought grimly to herself...

* * *

 

Inside the city hall building, the interiors were reasonably low key, all exposed red brickwork and polished girders. The department for civil weddings was located on the second floor up two flights of steep and rickety stairs. Castiel took great care in ensuring Evie didn’t stumble, moving to steady her with one hand at her lower back and the other holding the train of her dress as they slowly ascended into the open plan function room that served as a chapel.

A concerted effort had been made to dress the place for the occasion, drooping loops of silver and gold ribbons dangling from the cornices among dozens of sparkly balloons and bouquets of simple but elegant white flowers.

By the large arched window that flooded the space with natural light, Dean stood batting his hands against Sam as his little brother tried exasperatedly to keep him from constantly fidgeting with his tie.

“Will you _quit_ already?! You’ll unravel the knot! I didn’t spend six hours yesterday learning how to do a Windsor on Youtube just so you could go fuck up my hard work! Will ya just _hold still?!_ Yeesh…!” Sam snapped as he came dangerously close to slapping Dean upside the head in a bid to calm his restless movements.

“B-But it’s too tight, Sammy! Crap, my Adam’s Apple’s chaffin’-” Dean whined childishly as he squirmed against him and pouted at Sam’s annoyed expression.

“I swear, you’re worse than a toddler…!”

Suddenly, Dean’s flurry of hand movements ceased and his eyes grew as wide as saucers, jaw falling slack.

Blinking, Sam was confused for a second until, following his older brother’s enthralled gaze across the room he sighed breathlessly as he watched Evie arrive at the top of the stairs, her body turned away slight as she stopped briefly to adjust her veil and check for a wayward rhinestone that had jumped ship from one of her sparkle-encrusted cork wedges.

Bringing up the rear, Castiel knelt to straighten the strap of her shoe and for one fantastic moment, Dean could’ve sworn he was starring in his very own personal production of Cinderella.

Evie looked as if she had walked straight out of a fairytale. Her dress was simple and uncomplicated, a long sleeved shiny chiffon Maxi dress that trailed along the floor as she took ginger steps towards the large Persian style rug taking up the centre of the room. She still hadn’t laid eyes on him and Sam just yet and Dean wondered if she could see through the shimmering veil that hung gently across her face.

He gently nudged Sam.

“Now would be a good time to get the camera out, Sammy.” Dean said gleefully and Sam flinched slightly, snapped out of his reverie by the sensation of Dean’s elbow against his side. Clearing his throat conspicuously, Sam nodded and grabbed the chunky Nikon slung over his shoulder, snapping about a dozen soft focus frames in quick succession.

The sound of the camera shutter echoed off the walls and at last, Evie turned towards her waiting groom and his best man. Beneath the veil, her face held a demure smile but there was fear behind her green eyes and as she and Dean swiftly closed the gap between them, he mistook the glassiness of her irises for a whole plethora of emotions, thinking she was simply welling up because it was her wedding day.

He took both her hands in his own and raised them to his lips to press revenant kisses along her knuckles.

“Hi, Sweetheart. You look _incredible_.” he whispered as he intertwined their fingers. Evie let out a hiccough followed by a weak laugh, her shoulders twitching slightly.

“You don’t scrub up so bad yourself, Cowboy… _heh_.” her voice was hoarse and she grimaced slightly, briefly pulling one of her hands back to rub at her throat in a vain bid to dislodge the knots of anxiety that constricted it.

Sam moved to pull her into a gentle embrace, his large hands rubbing her back.

“Move over, Kate Middleton…! You’re _stunning,_ Everlyn. The camera doesn’t do you justice.”

Evie managed to find the will to giggle at that, reaching under her veil as he released her to wipe at her eyes and catch several errant tears that threatened to wet her lashes.

“S-Shut up, Sam. You’re makin’ me blush!”

Sam chuckled and leaned in to kiss her cheek, his gaze meeting Castiel from over her shoulder.

“Thank you for getting her here safely, Cas. I hope there were no problems over the last two days we were all apart…?”

Castiel tilted his head and pursed his lips, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Mmmm, she threw up a few times, guys. But it was just nerves. The food poisoning has passed, thankfully.”

“Ohh, _good._ ” Dean breathed a sigh of relief; “I was getting worried there. You’ve normally got the stomach of a mountain goat. I thought I was gonna have to raid the hospital supplies and hook you to a drip again at one point when you couldn’t keep anything down. But you’re okay now, baby?” his arm wound around her waist and he pulled her close against him to kiss the top of her head.

“This ain't no _shotgun_ wedding, I hope?” Dean’s chest rumbled with a laugh and Evie smacked him hard in the sternum, scowling at him.

“ _Don’t_ joke about that, you assbutt-!”

Raising his camera to his eye, Sam smiled and fiddled with the zoom as he encouraged Castiel to pose next to the soon-to-be-weds.

“Not gonna lie, though, that _would_ be the cherry on the cake…”

Dean frowned at his brother and waved a finger.

“Absolutely not. There’s no way in Hell we’re baby proofin’ the Bunker. I’m sure as shit not screwin’ a car seat into the back o’ the Impala. Nope. _Not_ happening.”

Sam gave him a patented bitch face.

_“Dean-_ ”

“Just take the damn picture, Annie Leibovitz!”

Castiel shook his head at the brother’s disagreement before he felt Evie’s eyes upon him. Though she was keeping up a smile for the sake of not wanting to spoil the day or the wedding photos, he could tell she was struggling to deal with the enormity of what transpired in the drug store bathroom. He scooted closer and gently took her chin between thumb and forefinger.

_“I’m here.”_ he whispered just low enough for only her to hear right before they were all left blinking furiously when a blinding burst of light from Sam’s camera caused stars to dance before their eyes.

“That’s one for the album!” the younger Winchester brother said brightly before he briefly stashed the camera at his back watching as a stylishly dressed middle-aged man and a rotund woman hurried down the hall towards them all.

“Am I late at all?! I haven’t missed the slot?” The man said in a flustered tone as he quickly set down a heavy, sticker-covered guitar case and thrust out an elaborately tattooed hand with the word _LOVE_ on the knuckles, rapidly shaking Sam’s hand.

His grip was strong but gentle and Sam chuckled at him, shaking his head.

“No, no. I think we’re early. We’re all set to get started if you are. You must be Tori the guitarist.”

“Yup, that’s me!” the musician swept his hands through a shaggy mop of grey-peppered wavy brown hair and let out a relieved laugh. Up close, he had more than just a touch of Johnny Depp about his clothing, a tanned muscular build clad in a simple white dress shirt, silver waistcoat and black jeans with fashionable rips at the knees and at least a dozen or so bracelets, leather wrist cords and rings on both hands.

Evie glanced at him. “You hired a musician, Dean?” Her lips twitched into a genuine smile.

Dean nodded and squeezed her shoulder.

“Anything for you, Sweetheart.” He dipped to peck her on the cheek, avoiding her lips when she turned and tried to deepen the action.

“It’ll take me less than a minute to set up. Councillor Quinn will run you through the ceremony real quick-” Tori said, gesturing to the large African-American woman flanking him who was dressed in official-looking robes of orange and blue, a massive pink lily peeking out of her dreadlocked bun.

“No need, Tori. I believe Mr. Winchester;” she swept a hand towards Dean; “Has already researched thing in a succinct manner. We spoke briefly on the phone yesterday.”

“Ahh, good, good! Cool, cool! Right!” Tori clapped his hands together and smirked; “Let’s get this show on the road! I nearly slept in after rehearsing the set-list all night hence why I thought I’d miss you guys.”

“No problem, dude. I just hope that glowing review in the local paper wasn’t lyin’ ‘bout your vocals!” Dean quipped before Tori gave a throaty laugh and saluted, taking a spot to the left of a large ornate oak table as he began to set up with a tiny belt-mounted portable amp.

Evie watched him curiously, wondering where Dean had managed to rustle up a musician at such short notice. Tori hummed low to himself, a vaguely familiar tune she willingly distracted herself with by trying to identify before a low whine of feedback pierced the air to make them all wince.

“Woops! Sorry, folks!” Tori apologized, his grin lopsided and sheepish showing pearly teeth framed by a neatly trimmed goatee; “Here we go…”

He strummed a few chords to test the tuning, plucking on the strings of a simple white Les Paul and as he at last began to sing, Evie couldn’t help but scrunch up her face in an amused cringe.

_#When your legs don’t work like they used to before…and I can’t sweep you off o’ your feet…#_

Sam beat her to the punch emitting a low snort through his nostrils.

“Really, Dean? _Ed Sheeran?_ Way to lay it on thick and cheesy!”

“Shut your cake hole, Sam. It’s romantic as hell!” Dean snapped back but there was no malice in his eyes, which twinkled with love and a whole host of other positive emotions as he gently extended an arm and began the slow, faithful walk towards the table...

* * *

 

 

**Elsewhere, in a future ravaged by war and mayhem…**

 

The young blonde woman panted hard as she struggled to catch her breath and steady her frantic heartbeat. Crouching low at the side of the bombed out husk of a bullet-ridden Chevy Impala parked behind smouldering dumpsters in an alleyway off the war-ravaged street, she glanced into the backseat and grimaced at the sight before her.

The auburn haired man in the backseat was writhing in pain from a slug to the stomach, blood splashing onto the threadbare upholstery but so far, he was just about holding it together.

“ _Jesus_ , Jack! Are you alright?! How’s your grace holdin’ up?!” the woman fretted as she climbed in beside him and pulled an array of medical supplies from the ragged backpack slung over her left shoulder before setting to work patching him up as best as she could.

Jack grunted in reply, shifting to give her enough room to work with but it was tough going and he cried out in pain as she pushed his ruined sweater up over his chest to access the damage.

The bullet was sticking out just above his navel and under normal circumstances it would’ve been a straightforward endeavor to clean him up but considering they’d both taken their lives into their hands venturing outside Lebanon for a desperately needed supply run, this was one roll of the dice that went against them.

“ _Fuck, Dee-!_ ” Jack gasped as he white-knuckled the handles over the windows and scrunched his eyes shut as she worked as quickly as she could to remove the slug and sew him up well enough to get the hell out of Dodge.

Once she was confident he wouldn’t bleed to death right there on the back seat of the nuked Impala, she sat on her hunches and rubbed the back of her hand over her eyes, barely muffling an anguished sob.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, babe. I knew we’d be risking everything straying too far from Kansas but desperate times… I _never_ meant for you to get shot! I never meant for all this _fuckery-_!”

“Diana... _Dee,_ it’s okay…” Jack gritted out as he slowly sat upright and squeezed her nearest shoulder in a show of reassurance; “I’m the one behind all this ‘ _end of the world_ ’ mess and Lord knows I’ll carry that with me ‘til the day I die but...but don’t worry about me. I think it’s already healing up…”

Diana hiccoughed and bit her lip, turning her eyes away from him before moving to scramble into the front seat and brace her hands on the worn out steering wheel.

“I wish Dad was here. He’d know what to do. I just… _Christ_ …” she pushed the heels of her hands into her eyes and huffed out a breath before shaking her head to dispel the tears and attempting to get the engine running with a harsh twist of the keys in the ignition.

The engine gave a low whine of protest before sputtering and dying and Diana swore under her breath, smacking the steering wheel in frustration.

“C’mon, Baby. Don’t quit on me now…!”

“I could teleport us back to the Bunker-” Jack offered but his blue eyes met a haughty set of emerald green in the rearview mirror and he shrank into his seat.

“Absolutely _not!_ Your powers are unstable enough as they are without adding a shot to the gut to compound the issue. Keep your head down, Jack. I’ll get us outta this mess if it _kill_ s us!”

“I’d rather not die today if I can help it, Dee…”

Diana snorted but said nothing more.

She turned the engine over once more before it finally surged to life and seizing the chance, she put it into the highest gear, the threadbare tires smoking as she sped the Impala out of the alley like a bat out of Hell, dodging several bullets from the rampaging rioters and raiders that roamed the streets of downtown Milwaukee like feral animals before, cutting a trail along a charred husk of motorway, they managed to breathe easier twenty minutes later en-route to Lebanon.

The scenery that passed beyond the cracks in the windshield was a hellish landscape of burnt out ruins, dead trees and burning cars that Diana expertly navigated as the minutes turned to hours in uncomfortable weighted silence. Several columns of smoke pierced the scorched red sky and she rolled up the windows as the clouds of pollution threatened to perminate the car, her brows heavily furrowed as she focused on getting them both home in one piece.

“Can we put the radio on?” Jack ventured after a while, studying his friend’s face in the rearview mirror.

“Not sure if she’s still working at this rate but anything’s worth a shot…” Diana replied wearily as she reached to twist the dial on the radio and adjust the volume.

It crackled and fritzed in and out of sound, snippets of frantic calls for help in nearby cities interspersed with static and the odd war time emergency broadcast before she growled and switched to cassette, jabbing the play button none too gentle.

The tape deck whirred loudly and the car was suddenly filled with the mournful sound of Skeeter Davis as she sang a melancholic lament to lost love.

_#Why does my heart go on beating? Why do these eyes of mine cry? Don’t they know? It’s the eeeennd of the world… it ended when youuuu said...goood-byyyeee…#_

Frowning slightly, Jack gingerly leaned forward enough to fold his arms on the top of the front seat, one hand lightly touching Diana’s left shoulder.

“That’s such a depressing song, Dee… why do you even have that tape?” he said quietly as he watched her face.

Diana shrugged and thumbed her nose not taking her gaze off the unsealed dirt road in front of her.

“In case you haven’t noticed, the world’s gone to Hell in a hand-basket, Jack. Tapes were always hard to come by even before the damn apocalypse but you find me a vintage music store still standing long enough to stock up on some new shit? I might just buy you dinner!” the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile and her cheeks dimpled, softening her expression.

Taking one hand off the wheel, she gently patted Jack’s and glanced briefly over her shoulder.

“How’s your gut? Still sore?”

“Stings a bit but I’ll live.” Jack said, his blue eyes following the dead and burnt landscape beyond the passenger window as the scenery grew more and more familiar with every mile they edged closer to home. The sky was getting dark now, the scorched red swiftly replaced by inky blackness devoid of stars much less anything resembling moonlight, pierced only by the flickering light of the car’s headlamps.

Despite the low visibility, both of them knew this wasteland like the backs of their hands and so, once the Impala rolled to a shuddering stop safely behind the secure doors of the garage, both teens could finally relax inside the stark comforts of the Bunker.

Dumping her backpack on the War Room table, Diana shrugged out of the grubby green military style jacket that hugged her body, wincing slightly as the moves jostled some of the old injuries barely concealed under her threadbare white vest.

“Are you alright?” Jack asked as he peeled off his bloodied sweater and tossed it into a nearby trashcan, leaving him in just a well-worn grey t-shirt; “I can try healing you again if the bruising is too severe-”

“I’m _fine_ , babe. Don’t worry. Your healing skills could use some work, though...Castiel never quite got around to passing that particular torch to you…” Diana sighed as she sunk into a chair and kicked off her sneakers, propping her feet on the table before pulling her backpack towards her.

Rummaging around inside, she pulled two cans of _Hawaiian Punch_ out and tossed one to her companion. “Got most of the medical supplies we needed but the cafeteria was a bust. Most of the fridges were bare and raiders already got the vending machines. Found these, though...not much but it’ll wet your whistle for a short while…”

Jack nodded and sat next to her, cupping the soda can with both hands as he peered intently at the ring pull.

“Compared to the streets of Milwaukee, the Bunker is so quiet…”

“Mmm. Want me to go put on some music?” Diana asked as she snapped open her own soda and took a swig.

Jack shook his head.

“Kinda sick of Led Zeppelin, Dee-”

_“Blasphemy!”_ Diana gasped in mock horror, eyes widening as she grinned at him.

Jack chuckled in spite of himself and chinked cans with her before watching as she stood up and strolled towards one of the radio consoles by the wall. He followed her actions quietly as she bent over the row of knobs and dials, her face scrunched in concentration as she tried to remember how to work the ancient technology enough to break the stark silence.

Twisting the nearest dial, the intercom system throughout the Bunker droned and whirred and the occasional burst of static crackled through the speakers before she managed to find the last remaining pirate radio station in Kansas, the final notes of a guitar anthem fading out to the tired voice of an weary-sounding radio DJ.

_“Welcome to K-ROCK 106, I’m your host Tori and that was Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2. If you just tuned in, welcome to the show. Sorry I play the same ol’ shit but good vinyl is at a premium these days. It’s just about to turn midnight so before I begin the Night Moves segment of this broadcast, time for a brief news report.”_

Jack twisted slowly in his chair and concentrated his hearing, his face tense with a mix of dread and anticipation that was mirrored by Diana as she stood leaning against the console.

_“The weather’s set to get pretty shitty this week. We have no real means of reliable prediction to offer other than the bare bones basics but as far as anyone can see, tomorrow is set to be just as dreary as the rest. Bring a raincoat, a towel and possibly more ammo than you think you might need if venturing outdoors. Rain makes people grumpy and trigger happy. Take no chances. Let’s see..”_ there was a brief moment of the DJ shuffling papers audibly followed by a grunt from where he’d clearly bumped his head on the microphone before a long, low sigh as he continued his broadcast.

_“If you need medical aid that can’t be administered by conventional DIY methods, Sioux Falls General is short staffed and running low on supplies. The skeleton crew of staffing urge people not to attend the hospital unless you are literally about to die or your intestines are hangin’ out an’ draggin’ so yeah, might wanna re-read any of the field medicine leaflets left over from before the war. If you need to restock your first aid kits, Dr. Shigeta will be handing out basic supplies- of which are limited- at 2pm on Monday for exactly one hour. First come, first serve basis.”_

“Think we should chance it?” Jack asked, glancing at the tattered backpack on the War Room Table. Diana shrugged and thumbed her nose.

“We have enough here to last us for about a month but it wouldn’t hurt to pop in and see how Taigo’s doin’. Poor guy hasn’t been the same since Dr. Souba was murdered. Hope he’s handlin’ things well…” she said dejectedly before turning her attention once more to the broadcast, her green eyes heavy with fatigue.

_“If you value your life and have some degree of sanity left, we urge you to avoid venturing outside Lebanon or indeed the state unless you have no other choice. Reports of demonic hordes and the usual bandits on the interstate have been trickling in from the settlements beyond Kansas but yeah, avoid unnecessary journeys unless it’s a matter of life or death. The last faction of military forces left are doing all they can to secure the most essential access routes but yeah, avoid the main roads if you can help it. What else…?_ ”

Another pause, more paper shuffling along with a few colorful curse words as Tori once again bumped his head off the microphone before he resumed the last of his news report.

“ _I suppose one good thing to report is that Franco’s Deli in downtown Lebanon have just been restocked by a generous donation from the army and some pretty dedicated volunteers._

_Tomorrow is Salisbury steak day and rumor has it, there may be actual mashed potatoes and broad beans- fresh ones! I heard something about there bein’ somewhere special where vegetables actual grow amid all this death an’ decay so if you need a hot meal and maybe some good company for a little while, head down to Franco’s on 6th and Main. That’s Franco’s Deli on 6th and Main, downtown Lebanon._

_Say Tori sent you and get a free rock bun for desert. Okay, lastly, time to do the obituaries. Kind of a sad way to end this report, sure, but that’s the reality we live in, guys..._ ”

Jack and Diana exchanged a glance. She pushed off the console and returned once more to her seat at the table, edging the worn wooden chair closer until she could wrap her arms tightly around Jack’s shoulders, neither one of them speaking as Tori slowly read out an alphabetical list of names of the fallen.

The minutes ticked by slowly in solemn, revered silence before, after what felt like an age, the DJ reached the ‘ _W_ ’ section of the list.

_“Castiel Winchester, age unknown. Fell in Washington DC during the Battle of Capitol Hill. A Lebanon native and friend to all who knew him. Greatly missed by his two children Jack and Diana who sadly informed me of his recent passing. Godspeed, Castiel. Go gently into the night.”_

The obituaries came to an end after two more names and Tori sighed deeply, just as depressed by the item as the two teens who huddled at the table united in quiet grief. After a few moments of respectful radio silence, there came the sound of a record player being switched on and the DJ spoke one last time.

_“And now time for Night Moves, music to get y’all through another dark night. Found this rare vinyl lurkin’ in the basement of our studios. Pretty good stuff if I do say so myself. Apparently Jared Leto was hot shit in the mid 2000s with a band named Thirty Seconds to Mars._

_Song’s called This is War. G’night, folks. Catch you at the 8am morning broadcast._ _This is Tori for K-ROCK 106 signing off.”_

A slow burning athemnic rock song began to filter through the Bunker’s speaker system and Diana bent her head slightly to place a gentle kiss upon the pulse point of Jack’s neck as he sniffled slightly, blinking back tears of grief that he made no effort to wipe away.

“I still can’t believe he’s gone…” he said softly after the music had played for roughly two minutes. Diana nodded and held Jack tighter around his shoulders, feeling them twitch and shudder as he tried so hard to hold back from outright sobbing.

“Castiel died fighting.” she said slowly, releasing him just enough to swivel his chair around so he faced her; “It’s what he would’ve wanted, Jack. To go out knowing he made a difference-”

“He died because of _me_ , Dee!” Jack hiccoughed, unable to look her in the eye as he fought against his own turbulent emotions; “If I hadn’t lost control of my powers, if I hadn’t been so reckless…!”

_“Hey.”_ Diana cupped his cheeks and gently forced his head up so her gaze met his; “Don’t you dare blame yourself for what happened in Washington. That was a tough fight, Jay. We’re not the only ones dealing with loss of this magnitude. You think Cas would want you utterly broken and bereft over his death? I know it hurts, babe. I _fucking_ know… but as Mom and Uncle Sam always told us right from the moment the shit hit the fan: _you keep on fighting._ ”

“How, Dee? We’ve lost everyone close to us… we have no-one left...” Jack started but Diana frowned and silenced him with two fingers to his lips, shaking her head.

“I know that, Jack. All we have is each other. Sometimes I feel I don’t know how to protect you in this crazy world but so help me, I _promise_ you that as long as there’s life in these veins of mine, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe and sound. I only hope you think the same of me.”

Blinking against the tears that fell freely from his blue eyes, Jack nodded and placed his own hands over hers, leaning forward in his seat to rest his head against her chest as he quietly wept, overwhelmed by grief and heartache.

Diana held him gently, her fingers sweeping through his auburn hair to soothe him as she massaged his scalp and she whispered soft words holding back her own anguish as the need to be strong for both their sakes threatened to consume her completly.

The song faded out to several seconds of silence before another series of hasty record changing noises and a second song started, disarmingly upbeat despite the somber mood. Diana huffed out a weak chuckle, watching as Jack slowly lifted his head and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand.

“We _really_ need to donate some of our choice vinyl to Tori…” Jack mused with a shaking voice, trying to muster up the will to smile as Smash Mouth's ‘ _All Star_ ’ echoed through the halls of the Bunker.

Diana rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her blonde pixie cropped hair, laughing despite herself.

“The hell we will! Dad would rise from the grave and kick my ass if I just gave up _Bat Outta Hell!_ ”

She stood up and took one of Jack’s hands, pull him with her before she threaded their fingers together and regarded him with fondness and affection in her green eyes.

“C’mon. Let’s go to bed, babe. It’s been a long-ass day. You got shot, I nearly had my own head blown off at least three times and Baby’s on her last leg. We’ll figure shit out in the mornin’.”

Jack nodded and said nothing more, letting her lead him down the hall towards the bedroom they both shared. Once inside, she shut the door and released his hand. He sat on the left side of the bed and began unlacing his heavy steel toed work boots, quietly relieved to be rid of them as his arches burned with the exertion of a day spent running for his life.

Peeling off her worn-out jeans, Diana threw them in the direction of a nearby chair full of other laundry before flopping face down on the opposite side and hugging the pillow under her chin. Jack studied her for a moment in the dim light.

“Any plans for tomorrow?” he asked as he stripped down to his boxers and then pulled the bare duvet up over them both.

Diana yawned loudly and wiggled closer to him, her eyelids fighting to stay open as exhaustion began to creep upon her.

“Typical Saturday, Jack. Scrounge for parts for Baby, inventory on the medical supplies, maybe double check the weapon vault an’ see if anything needs servicing...let’s just take it easy. Today was rough for both of us.”

The blue eyed teen nodded and hitched the covers up to his chin, turning on his side to face her as he got comfortable on the threadbare pillow.

“I know…”

“Nooo, you don’t.” Diana said in a playfully teasing tone as she booped his nose; “Who the hell knows what tomorrow will bring? Might as well try to be optimistic ‘bout it.”

“Mmm. Goodnight, Diana.” Jack sighed before he turned away and faced the wall. He felt Diana place another sweet kiss to his pulse point and he forced down a shiver, remaining still and quiet until he felt her shuffling movements cease and her breathing lapse into a slow, steady rythmn of low snores.

Despite closing his own eyes and willing himself to surrender to his own fatigue, Jack’s mind was still racing from all that had transpired in recent days: the disasterous supply run, the sting of the bullet in his gut that narrowly missed all his vital organs and of course, the crushing pain of losing Castiel the previous week. He swallowed back another sob as the thought of his fallen friend threatened to provoke more tears and instead he rolled onto his back to peer up at the darkened ceiling.

_We can’t live like this anymore…_ he thought desperately to himself as he lay alone in bed next to his oblivious sleeping friend. With a single longing glance in her direction, Jack twisted slightly and moved to ghost a single finger along the outline of her jaw.

Diana’s eyes twitched and a tiny smile pulled at her lips but otherwise she didn’t stir and Jack’s heart gave another terrible lurch inside his chest.

_You deserve to be happy, Dee…_  he licked his bottom lip and once more shifted until there was only less than a foot of space between them. He debated spooning against her, at pains to touch her and seek comfort but he thought better, feeling his cheeks burn in the still of the night as he lay beneath their shared duvet.

 

_If only you knew how much I’m willing to do to make that happen…_

 

* * *

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next chapters will be slightly delayed as I'm busy with college work but I have the outlines written for the next 3-4 so don't fret. All in good time! Also: Yes, I did indeed watch DBZ Abridged while plotting out this chapter. I regret nothing.  
> Champagne Drunk Dean is an ass.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> -Chubbs

**CHAPTER TWO**

**Meanwhile in the present timeline...**

One hour later, Evie and Dean emerged hand in hand into the sunlight and stood atop the steps to the Cleveland City Hall building officially a married couple. Gleefully playing the part of dutiful photographer, Sam captured their jubilant kisses and smiles whilst Castiel laughed and showered them both in a baptism of uncooked rice and glittering confetti.

Passersby in the street below cheered and clapped along with several cars honking their horns to salute the happy couple and for the very briefest of moments, all seemed right in the world.

Once back in the Impala, however, the heady excitement of the ceremony that had distracted her from her thoughts began to swiftly fade and Evie found the butterflies of glee in her stomach replaced by ravenous moths of anxiety. Still, always one to keep a good poker face when needed, she fixed her mouth into a wide smile and played the part of the giddy bride as Sam drove them all across town to a fancy restaurant he’d booked in advance.

Dean’s arm curled around Evie’s shoulders as they sat in the backseat and he rested his chin atop her head content to bask in the company of his newly wedded wife and inhale the gentle scent of apples in her long raven hair.

“You have no idea how happy you’ve made me today, Everlyn…” he whispered just low enough for only her to hear, his voice almost reverent as he pulled back to gaze into her eyes. Smiling serenely, Dean placed two fingers under her chin and tilted her jaw up to kiss her deeply.

Evie sighed into him, the action giving him enough of an opening to slip her some tongue but before she could willfully lose herself in the touch and taste of her new husband, her stomach gave a slight lurch and she found herself faced with a third wave of nausea threatening to give the game away.

Quickly shuffling away she giggled softly and fixed several stray locks of  hair from her face. “Easy, Dean! Save something for our wedding night!” Evie kept her voice light and breezy, unable to look him in the eye as she bit her lip and tried to ignore the churning within her abdomen.

Dean chuckled and nuzzled his nose against her jaw.

“Oh, don’t worry, Sweetheart. I have plans for tonight. Kinky, nasty, _X-rated_ plans.” he purred in a husky tone that once used to make her knees go weak but giving all that was happening inside her head right now, the last thing on Evie’s mind was a night of carnal delights.

“Get a room, you guys!” Sam playfully chided from the driver’s seat as he steered the Impala down a side street towards a valeted parking bay outside a handsome red brick building.

“And lo, I gift you with a baptism of stupid.” Dean deadpanned as he gathered a handful of leftover confetti and dumped it on his younger brother’s head, laughing as Sam yelped in alarm, the car weaving in traffic slightly before he corrected it and pulled up to a stop at the kerb whilst giving Dean a mock-death glare through the rearview mirror.

“This place looks fancy…” Castiel mused as he squinted up at the swirling silver sign above the red canopy.

The restaurant was a boutique Italian place called _Pacino’s_ and a single glance inside the floor-to-ceiling window framed in luxurious silk curtains showed an intimate, lightly populated room full of a dozen or so small tables covered in expensive-looking red material with matching chairs and several empty wine glasses laid out alongside polished cutlery that glinted in the afternoon sun.

The wedding party exited the car and Sam handed the keys to the waiting valet before he hung back to help Evie as the train of her dress snagged on her wedges and almost tripped her up when she attempted to step from the Impala to the kerb. She grasped his bicep as he held her steady and as she corrected her balance their eyes met for a moment.

“What is it?” Sam asked in a low voice as she spotted a glimmer of worry upon her features, concern on his own.

Evie licked her bottom lip and glanced at Dean- who was currently telling the valet to take good care of the Impala under penalty of barely implied torture- before she huffed out a breath as a deeply dejected sigh and took Sam’s hand.

“I really need to talk to you. In private... _alone_.” she whispered, her voice trembling as she gripped him for dear life.

Sam’s brow furrowed. He could tell with just one look that something was wrong but before he could press her any further, Dean turned around and flashed them both a megawatt grin, extending his elbow and dipping in a dramatic courtesy.

“My lady, your table awaits!”

Evie once more set her face into the mask of exuberance she had worn all day but her green eyes were beginning to betray her true feelings and the more Sam studied her gaze, he could tell she was almost at the brink of tears that had nothing to do with happiness or laughter.

Shaking his head and reaching to brush the glitter out of his brown locks, he mimicked her poker face and followed her into the restaurant flanked by Castiel, his own mind beginning to form anxious thoughts over what could possibly be troubling Evie on a day like this…

* * *

 

**Back in the future…**

 

 _“Jaaack!_ Look what I found!”

Blinking at sound of Diana’s excited tone, Jack turned in his seat with a piece of toast halfway to his lips as he watched the young blonde woman sprint into the Bunker’s kitchen holding a dusty, slightly water damaged cardboard box in both arms.

“What’cha got there, Dee?” Jack asked curiously as she placed her new find down on the table in front of him and began to rummage through it like a kid at Christmas.

Clouds of dust rose up as she disturbed the contents and Jack had to quickly move his plate of food away as years of dirt and cobwebs tumbled out of the worn cardboard onto the metal surface.

“Dad’s old DVD collection! Man, I haven’t seen some of this stuff since I was around ten!” Diana breezed as she plucked up a large orange-covered box set and studied the cover with interest.

“Ooh, _Dragon Ball Z_! I remember this show was pretty good!”

“Dragon what-now?”Jack arched an eyebrow, puzzled.

“Finish your toast, babe. I’ll go hook up the player in the den and we gon’ have ourselves an anime fest!”the young woman cooed as she bounced on the soles of her bare feet, delight in her face at having discovered a treasure trove of movies and tv show box sets to take the sting out of the often long and boring hours spent holed up in the Bunker.

Quickly finishing his food, Jack cleared his plate before following his friend down the hall into the room that was once unceremoniously dubbed The Dean Cave. Taking his usual spot on the left side of the ancient leather sofa, he curled his legs underneath himself and watched as Diana set the box of goodies down on the floor before the old entertainment console, a happy hum of contentment coming from her as she queued up the first disc of the box set.

“What exactly is _anime_ , anyways?” Jack asked as she grabbed the remote and joined him on the sofa, wiggling close to him and making herself comfortable.

“Think cartoons, Jack, but not necessarily ones strictly aimed at kids. Most anime comes from Japan. It’s an artform and it’s epic but not gonna lie, I did find some _weird_ shit in that box…”

“W-weird..?” Jack frowned.

“Trust me, Sweetie, you _don’t_ wanna know about the tentacle porn…”

Jack’s eyes widened in alarm at that statement but before he had a chance to ask further questions, the guitar-heavy theme tune echoed off the walls and Diana pulled the thick old woollen comforter down from the back of the couch draping it over him before resting her head upon his shoulder.

“Some microwave popcorn would be awesome right now but it’s so hard to come by…” she groaned as the opening credits gave way to the first act. Jack nodded but said nothing, feeling his breath hitch as she then took to grabbing his nearest wrist and curling his arm around her shoulders, getting cosy against his side.

She turned to look at him and flashed him a buck-toothed grin.

“Dad used to say the whole Android Saga plotline was a _total_ rip off of _The Terminator_ but I honestly can’t remember which came first at this rate.”

“Y-Yeah?” Jack tried to keep his voice even, focusing his attention on the brightly coloured animation playing on the TV screen; “We should watch those movies again sometime…”

“Oh, I agree! Love me some Linda Hamilton, she’s a total badass! Though it’s a damn shame the discs are scratched to bits. If you want, after this movie’s over we can head into town an’ swing by the hardware store to see if they got any disc cleaner. I doubt it but you never know what people’ll trade in these days.” Diana mused, completely oblivious to the effect her close proximity was having on the young man she rested against.

Jack nodded, shifting slightly in his seat as she took to sinking further down the couch with her head propped in his lap with one leg bent bent at the knee, the other resting lazily on the armrest. He scrunched his eyes shut for a moment silently telling himself to stop thinking impure thoughts but it was useless when she was like this: fresh out of bed and dressed in just a white tank top and blue shorts, no regard whatsoever for the feelings she was stirring in her closest companion.

“You okay?”

Jack opened his eyes, meeting a pair of curious emerald green and he gulped down a hot knot of anxiety that threatened to wedge itself firmly behind his Adam’s apple.

“I’m fine!” he lied, using his free hand to sheepishly rub the back of his head as he averted his gaze from her state of undress to the more benign view of the threadbare rug; “...Kinda hungry, though…”

“Yeah? Well DJ Tori _did_ mention something about a nice steak dinner…” Diana sat up slightly and booped his nose. “Wanna take me on a lunch date, Jay?”

Jack’s bottom lip quivered for a moment before he composed himself and forced a shy smile.

“D-Don’t be weird, Dee!”

“Please!” Diana gave an amused snort; “We’re practically datin’ as is. Only difference is we’ve never rolled around in the sheets like a pair of o’ cats in heat… _yet_.”

Jack froze momentarily, wide-eyed.

Shaking her head, Diana let out a mischievous giggle and smacked him upside the head with a worn-out couch cushion that quickly snapped him from his shocked stupor. Out of reflex, he started laughing too but there was no real mirth in it, his heart lovesick and conflicted deep inside his chest as she once more settled down beside him to watch the show, the room soon falling into concentrated stillness save for the crackling audio from the old flat screen.

After around forty five minutes, during a rather harrowing scene where the hero of the movie happens across his fallen friend and mentor, Diana found herself tensing as the mood suddenly shifted. She glanced up at Jack, who had been completely absorbed in the story-line up to this point and her jaw flexed.

 _“Shit…”_ she murmured, causing him to blink and meet her eye.

“What is it, Dee?”

“This...this movie’s getting a lil’ too close to home for me.” Diana said quietly as she watched Trunks cradle Gohan’s lifeless body and scream into the rain; “Forgot how tragic Trunks’ backstory was…”

“Do you want to turn it off?” Jack ventured gently, reaching for the remote.

Diana gave a weak smile and a single nod, moving to curl her knees up to her chest and wrap her arms around them. Turbulent memories stirred from an uneasy slumber within the darkest corners of her mind and she coughed roughly, pinching the bridge of her nose as she took a moment to close her eyes and steady her breathing.

“It’s just a cartoon, Diana.” Jack turned off the TV with a swift flick of the remote before tossing it aside and pulling the comforter around her shoulders.

“But I know what you’re thinking…”

Diana nodded once more but said nothing, bowing her head and staring intently at her grubby toenails. With a sigh, Jack got up from the couch and took to returning the movie disc to its’ rightful case before stashing it behind a thick textbook in the rickety old bookshelves in the corner.

“Look at me, getting all traumatised over a fucking _movie_ …!” Diana furiously scrubbed at her eyes and scowled, watching as Jack leaned against the little makeshift bar nearby casting her a concerned expression.

“I get it, Dee. Trust me, I do. What happened to your father, it was tragic a-and horrible and…” he trailed off for a beat before taking to grabbing a large, half-empty bottle of whiskey so old the label was little more than a faded blur obscuring the name and maker.

He sat back down on the couch and unscrewed the cap, handing her the bottle.

“Bit early for whiskey but Dean always said it’s a good anaesthetic…”

Diana gave a slight humorless smile and took a large mouthful grimacing as the sour, likely out-of-date liquid burned her throat on the way down before she coughed once and set the whiskey down on the milk crate that acted as a coffee table.

“There’s not enough alcohol left in the world to numb our pain, Jack, but points for tryin’...” She stood up, adjusting the comforter around herself before pulling him into a warm hug where she rested her chin against his shoulder.

“C’mon, let’s go grab some dinner before Franco’s sells out.”

Jack held her close, hesitant at first before he moved to ghost his hands along her back in a bid to soothe her.

“You can always talk to me, Dee. Whenever you’re ready…”

Diana chuckled weakly and held him at arm’s length. Though her cheeks were dimpled with a broadening smile, her eyes were glassy and he knew if he wasn’t right there next to her she’d no doubt be crying at the losses they’d both suffered in recent years but though she’d never played the game, her poker face was hard to see past and she shook her head, patting him on the small of his own back before parting from his touch.

“I’m so lucky to have you, Jack.”

He smiled at that.

“Let’s go get some food before my stomach starts singin’ the sound of its’ people!”

* * *

 

**Present day...**

 

Getting away from Dean’s playfully affectionate nature was nothing short of impossible as the afternoon wore on towards evening. By 5pm, he had drunk close to two and a half bottles of champagne, barely aware of Castiel secretly swapping Evie’s drinks for sparkling water or grape juice as he grew tipsier with every glass.

The restaurant had certainly not helped thing along by encouraging the wedding party with rounds of free drinks and by the time it came to the dessert course, Evie’s patience was beginning to wear thin as her inebriated new husband attempted to play footsie with her under the table.

“I love you so much, Everlyn.. _.hick_ …!” Dean breezed as he pushed a flute of champagne towards her and flashed her a wide drunken grin.

Evie gritted her teeth but smiled nonetheless, glancing at Sam in a silent plea for help. The younger of the two Winchesters quickly got the drift and pushed his chair out before standing and offering the embattled young bride his hand.

“Need some air?” Sam asked kindly as she once more reached for him and hitched up the hem of her dress to stand.

“Y-yeah… champagne’s going to my head. I don’t want a bad hangover in the mornin’...” Evie muttered before she arched an eyebrow at her husband; “You watch yourself, Dean! I am _not_ spending my first official day as a married woman cleaning up after your drunken ass if you make a holy show of yourself!”

Dean shook his head and giggled.

“Barely married a day and you’re already naggin’ me! I’m fine, Sweetheart _-hick!_ -come have another drink and let’s just see where t’night takes us!”

“I’m going with Sam. I need a breather…” Evie said, earning a questioning expression from her husband. She licked her lips and her face softened; “....All that pasta’s makin’ me feel bloated. Tell you what, order me dessert and when I come back, we can do that whole cheesy chick-flick thing of spoon-feeding each other tiramisu!”

Dean nodded, giving her the finger-guns and a wink. “You got it! Love you!” he clicked his tongue and turned to Castiel, who was watching the exchange with a knowing expression.

“Cas, you want dessert? Think they have cherry panna cotta!”

“I’m fine, Dean, thank you.” the angel replied, resting his elbows on the table and propping his chin in one hand as he watched Dean once more reach for the rapidly dwindling champagne; “You should slow down, though. Everlyn’s right. Too much alcohol will not bode well for the morning.”

“Oh, shush! It’s free, aint it? Have a glass an’ take a load off!” Dean pursed his lips, slopping some alcohol onto the red tablecloth as he hastily poured Castiel a glass and set it down hard before him.

Shaking his head, Castiel cast Evie a sympathetic look.

“I’ll take care of him. See you in a moment.”

With a slight nod, Evie squeezed Castiel’s shoulder as she passed before linking arms with Sam and taking a handful of her dress, walking towards the al fresco dining area at the rear of the restaurant. The sun was beginning to set beyond the Cleveland skyline and the horizon was painted in shades of orange, red and gold as a soft glow added to the ambience of the candle-lit courtyard.

Finding a seat on a wooden bench at a secluded corner shaded by an apple tree, Evie moved to take both of Sam’s hands in her own as her gaze fell to the tiled ground.

“You’re starting to worry me, Evie. What’s going on?” Sam asked as he watched her shoulders tremble, his brows furrowed in dreaded anticipation.

“Do you remember about six months into our relationship… all those breezy pillow chats we had about the future?” Evie’s voice cracked on the last word and she glanced up at the sky, her eyes brimming with tears she could no longer hold back.

“Evie…?” Sam’s hands moved up her arms to her shoulders before he pulled her into a comforting embrace his own heart lurching inside his chest.

“Y-You always talked about one day giving up hunting, settling down and livin’ the All American dream of marriage, a house in the suburbs…m-maybe even a couple of kids…”Evie murmured into his neck, her tears leaving damp patches on the white fabric of his shirt collar.

Sam pulled back slightly, wide eyed as realization clicked into place.

“Everlyn…!” He gasped quietly; “...Are you trying to tell me you’re-?!”

Evie scrunched her eyes shut and gave a single nod.

“Y-Yes, Sam. I’m pregnant.”

Sam held her at arm’s length, completely winded by the revelation. A moment of silence fell between them before he straightened up and reached to brush the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. She sniffled, sheer terror in her emerald eyes as she anticipated what he might say next.

“Everlyn….when...when did you find out?” Sam’s voice was low and hesitant but the more she stared at him, the more she could see the beginnings of a smile twitching the corners of his mouth.

“This morning. Literally thirty minutes before the wedding. I...it wasn’t food poisoning after all, Sam…” Evie said quietly as she swiped her hand across her nose.

Fishing a handkerchief out of his pocket, Sam handed it to her and watched as she daubed at her face, the last traces of her makeup melting away to reveal a flush of blotchiness to her cheeks. Shaking his head, he pulled her close once more and kissed her softly as one large hand stroked through her hair.

“Do you think it’s mine?”

Evie shook her head and a short laugh escaped her.

“I have no idea. You could be a father...or an uncle...”

“Wow…. now there’s one for _Jerry Springer_ …!” Sam wheezed out a laugh.

Evie rolled her eyes and gave him a light slap on the shoulder feeling slightly more relaxed as she watched his smile grow to spread like wildfire across his face. Standing up, Sam pulled her with him and wound his arms around her waist to hold her close and rest his chin in the nape of her neck.

“...Not that I won’t love the kid any less.”

“So-so you’re on board with this?” Evie ventured, nuzzling against his chest. The fear stabbed at her once more and she lifted her head to peer at him.

“I’m not ready to tell Dean just yet. Not now, Sam. Let him have tonight. You heard what he said before the ceremony. I would place good money on him absolutely hitting the roof-”

“Hey…” Sam swiped his thumb along her bottom lip; “Dean loves you, Everlyn. I get it though. It’ll knock him sideways but it’s not the end of the world. That said, if he reacts badly just say the words and I’ll absolutely kick seven shades of Hell out of him.”

Evie smiled and reached up to close the gap between their lips.

“I wouldn’t put it past you, Samuel-”

“Hey! Get your hands off my wife!” Came a drunken shout from nearby. Spinning around so fast she almost tripped over her dress, Evie’s heart rate shot up upon seeing Dean storm towards her with a face like thunder.

 _Oh God, how much of that did he hear?!_ Evie thought only to shriek in alarm as Dean roughly shoved Sam away and swept her into a bridal hold, his face cracking into a cocky grin as she squirmed and struggled against him whilst he laughed hysterically.

“You absolute _bollocks,_ Dean Henry Winchester!” she cried angrily as she got tangled in her dress but Dean was too full of drunken exuberance as he slung her over his shoulder and strolled back into the restaurant.

Sitting back down on the wooden bench, Sam swept his hand down his face and sighed deeply as he began to process all that had just transpired. The possibility that he could indeed be a parent was utterly fantastical and insane but the more he thought about it, the more the notion appealed to him and he chuckled to himself at the mental images of the woman he loved plump in pregnancy or cradling a newborn in her arms.

 

_If this is a dream, I sure as shit don’t want to wake up…_

 

* * *

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I was planning to upload this on Tueday but I've been working steadily on this and the next chapters all day and everything is flowing really well as I transcribe and edit the rough draft notes from my notepads to Google Docs so I thought, feck it that'll do!
> 
> Some mild teenage jealousy here along with a brief appearance from an OC of mine that might get his own story in my Original Works drabbles sometime in the future. For now, please enjoy this latest installment. Hopefully the next few chapters won't be uploaded in such quick succession but then again, when it strikes you just gotta ride the lightening!
> 
> Toodles!
> 
> -Chubbs

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Downtown Lebanon, Kansas,  2036**

Spearing a piece of Salisbury steak on the end of her fork, a crinkle appeared between Diana’s brow as she sniffed it and grimaced. “Smells like an old boot…” she groaned, dropping the fork back onto the plate with a loud clatter; “How’re your mashed potatoes, Jack?”

“Salty…” Jack replied, spitting his mouthful of food into a napkin and pushing his own plate to one side as they both sat in a threadbare booth of Franco’s Deli surrounded by a dozen or so townsfolk.

It was three in the afternoon, just after the lunch rush and as could be expected, Jack and Diana had been left with the dregs of the food rations being handed out by the US Army and field kitchen volunteers. Try though she might no amount of flirtatious banter could sway the head chef to part with a more tender cut of meat much less anything actually edible and so, disappointment and hunger weighing heavily in her belly, Diana leaned back and let an audible groan of annoyance escape her lip.

“I’d sell my soul for a slice of cherry pie that didn’t come loaded with a million chemicals…” she grumbled darkly watching as the other townsfolk pottered about in search of nourishment.

“Careful what you wish for, Dee… “ Jack said with a cautionary tone as he opened a large antique book before him and propped an elbow on the table; “...You might attract a crossroads demon talking like that.”

“If you’ve got a better idea on how to get a decent meal, I’m all ears, Jacky-boy. I’m just _so_ sick of eatin’ shit from a tin can. Honestly, when was the last time either of us had a home cooked meal?” Diana threw her hands up before running her fingers through her blonde hair and sighing deeply.

Her green eyes fell upon the tome he was reading and she sniffed, thumbing her nose before pulling it across the table. “What’s this?”

“ _Hey-_!” Jack started as he grabbed for it but Diana was quick with her reflexes and held it just out of reach, frowning. She closed the book and studied the cover only to pale when she found the embossed leather-bound cover revealed a complicated series of Latin words her somewhat limited skills could barely translate.

“Whu… a _spell book_?! Jack, what are you planning?” Diana said in a scandalised whisper as she shoved the book at him like it burned her, urging him to conceal it as her gaze darted around for onlookers. Jack stashed the book in his backpack and folded his arms on the table leaning forward and urging her to keep her voice low.

“I’ve been thinking-”

“A dangerous pastime…” Diana quipped dryly, sipping on a cup of lukewarm coffee; “...But continue.”

“-Remember that anime we watched this morning? And how we spoke about those old _Terminator_ movies? I have an idea. It’s a crazy one but sometimes the craziest ones are the only options.” Jack stated firmly, his blue eyes burning into her.

“Time travel?!” Diana was quick on the uptake, her jaw flexing; “Absolutely not, Jack. _No._ I won’t let you do it! Are you _completely_ insane?!” Diana snapped as she reached to slap him upside the head but he quickly dodged the blow and sat back in his seat.

“I already had the vague notion in my head before today but seeing how upset you got watching that movie...it confirms everything I need to do. What other choice do we have, Diana? Like you said, the world’s gone to shit-”

Draining her coffee cup, Diana pointed an index finger at him and growled out her words.

“Need I remind you that my mother’s very existence unlocked Lucifer’s cage? And now you’re talking about potentially risking ripping yet _another_ fucking hole in the fabric of time and space to try an’ cram the bastard back in?! Get your head out of your ass, Jack. You’re talkin’ about a suicide mission. I know your intentions are good but the risk is way too great. No. Just... _no_.”

“Dee, c’mon! Just hear me out-!”

“ _I said no!_ ” Diana shouted, causing half of the other diners in the deli to look up at the sound of the outburst. Grimacing, she swept her fringe out of her eyes and took a deep petulant breath before her lip thinned and she glared at Jack.

“You’re always the first one to say how unstable your own powers are, Jack. You can barely teleport us both from the middle of town to the Bunker without being out by a couple o’ miles. How the _fuck_ do you expect to jump back literally _years?!_ ”she was calmer-barely- and she folded her arms over her chest, her emerald eyes blazing.

Shaking his head, Jack swept his auburn hair off his face and huffed out a breath.

“All I ask is that you have a little faith in me, Dee. There’s a ritual to it. Yes, the risks are extreme but we’ve tried everything else and look what we have to show for it. Everyone we love is _dead._ ” he voice broke as he reached across the table in a bid to take one of her hands into his but she pulled away out of stubborness.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. _Please_...I need you onside.”

Diana closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Jack…” her voice softened and she slumped in her seat; “...You’re asking too much-”

Just then, a large shadow fell across the table followed by the sound of someone clearing their throat. “Trouble in paradise?” came a kindly English-accented voice, causing Diana to quickly rearrange her face into a large toothy grin and drape an arm casually over the edge of the booth.

“ _Simon!_ Sweetheart, how you doin’?” she purred, thankful for the distraction as the handsome soldier took a seat next to her and set down his own tray of food on the table. Jack arched an eyebrow and pulled back, poking at a limp piece of carrot on his plate as Simon turned to him and gave a warm smile.

“Good, good! Hey, Jack. Got somethin’ for you.” Simon glanced over his shoulder for a moment before pulling a small bundle from his military-issue ration pack and placing it before the younger man. “Chocolate covered marzipan. It expires in two days so my commanding officer didn’t think it was worth keeping but I swiped it before it hit the incinerator. I know you have a sweet tooth so...yeah, small comforts, I guess.”

Diana bit her lip and grinned. “Well ain't that just lovely? Simon, you’re _awesome!_ ”

The soldier blushed to the roots of his tightly buzzed hair and chuckled bashfully as one hand swept over the neat ginger beard coating his jawline. “I try… how was lunch? I just got back from an escort mission so this is the first thing I’ve eaten in six hours…”

“Don’t bother.” Jack said, somewhat rougher than he intended as he directed a haughty glare at his untouched Salisbury steak; “Steak is disgusting, potatoes are full of salt and the carrots taste half rotted. Someone dropped the ball…”

Simon nodded in sympathy, pointing to the little package of marzipan.

“I’ll have a word with the chef. I know we have to stretch what little rations we get but that’s ridiculous, Jack. No point in operating a field kitchen if the food’s inedible.”

Diana cocked her head and studied Simon as her fingers drummed on the table dangerously close to his camouflaged bicep whilst she licked her lips.

“So, anythin' strange to report from the frontline, Si?” she asked, her voice flirty and light.

“I’m flying home next week, actually, Diana.” Simon said as he placed a lump of carrot on his fork and held it to the light to check for rot; “My tenure is up. Can’t say I’m sorry to leave Kansas but yeah, I’ll miss you… a-and you too, Jack.”

Jack gave a slight nod in reply but didn’t trust himself to speak, feeling a sizable pang of jealousy in the pit of his stomach as Diana’s face fell and she reached out to squeeze Simon’s forearm.

“You’re _leaving?_ ” she said, crestfallen as the soldier placed a hand over hers and regarded her fondly; “Shit, always the kind ones. Well, I’ll miss the hell outta you too, Lieutenant Teagan!”

Simon gave a short laugh and scooted forward slightly, leaning into her.

“I know, it sucks but I have to go where I’m needed. But hey, my commanding officer can be kind sometimes. He gave me the rest of the afternoon off. If you want, maybe we could go swing by the cinema? I heard a rumor someone found an old reel of _Evil Dead_ that’s in pretty good shape but don’t quote me on that one…”

Jack closed his eyes shut for a moment at that, trying hard to keep his powers from bristling to life as he heard Diana squeal in delight.

“Y’know she’s only _seventeen_ , right?” he blurted, startling himself with how angry he sounded.

He felt a combat boot-covered foot kick his left ankle hard and his eyes snapped open.

Diana was glaring at him and Simon had gone slightly pale despite the smile still etched upon his angular face. Clearing his throat, the soldier loosened his collar and took up his tray of barely touched food.

“Forgive me, Miss Winchester. I had no idea. You seemed so mature, I…! N-never mind. Forget I said anything. I need to get back to work. I’ll, er, see you around. Have a good life!” He then proceeded to scurry from the booth and disappear with alarming speed into the kitchen out of sight.

“What the _hell,_ Jack?!” Diana griped, turning to face her companion and feeling a strong urge to kick him harder; “I was almost on to a promise there! Nice going, you clam-jammer!”

“He’s too old for you, Dee. Not to mention a member of the military. How bad is it going to look if he winds up with a potential statutory rape charge?” Jack shot back, folding his arms.

“S-shut up! It’s not like I was gonna _sleep_ with him!”

“Please! You were all over him like a rash, squeezing his bicep and batting your lashes-oh, for crying out loud, let’s _not_ do this.” Jack exhaled sharply through his nostrils and stared up at the rusting ceiling fan over their heads; “I just think you could do so much better…”

“And this is you lookin’ out for me, is it?” Diana grumbled as she moved to exit the booth; “You have a weird way of showing you care, Jack. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were jealous!”

He furrowed his brow, feeling the makings of a tension headache stab behind his eyes.

_“Dee…”_

“I don’t want to fight you Jack, but you owe me one gorgeous Englishman to play with!”

“Urgh…”

“C’mon, let’s haul ass. I wanna swing by the junkyard and see if I can find some new tires for Baby. We’re headin’ for a major blowout any day now…” Diana grabbed the package of marzipan and stuffed it into her own bag before adjusting the straps on her shoulder and throwing half a dozen dollar bills down on the table.

 _Interesting choice of words…_ Jack thought to himself, unable to ignore the churning of anxiety within his stomach as he tried to calm his erratic powers. He had seen her flirt with Simon numerous times over the last year but it was only now that his jealousy had boiled over enough to put the brakes on any further developments between the two.

He urged himself to breathe slowly, steadily and as he took his place in the front passenger seat of the bombed-out Impala, Jack wondered just how much more he could take of denying his own feelings…

* * *

 

  


**Cleveland, Ohio, 2019**

A short taxi ride later and the wedding party had arrived at the Cleveland Hilton. Though it was barely after ten, Dean was the worse for wear out of the four of them and having cited too much champagne mingled with exhaustion, all Evie wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep for a week.

But as ever, best laid plans are often cast asunder and Dean clearly thought otherwise.

Evie had barely changed from her wedding dress into a pair of fuzzy pink pyjamas when her husband staggered into the master bedroom of the honeymoon suite and shimmied out of his suit before he began to crawl naked onto the bed, giggling all the while and completely missing the embattled grimace that crossed his newly wedded wife’s face.

“Hello, wifey!” Dean drawled as he lay on his stomach and began trailing his fingers along her thigh towards the edge of her pyjama pants. Evie furrowed her brows and shuffled away but he persisted, sliding his hands over her stomach and leaning in for a drunken kiss.

“Dean, I’m really not in the mood…” she protested as she reached to push him away.

Frowning, Dean stilled his actions and peered at her.

“B-But it’s our _wedding_ night…!” he whined childishly, lips set in a pout. “You really don’t want to…?”

Guilt stabbed at her stomach but Evie was determined to not have him twist her arm. She pulled her knees to her chest and reached to gently caress his jaw.

“Dean, we have the rest of our lives to have as much crazy sex as we want. I know you had big plans for tonight but I honest to Jaysus have a massive headache brewing. Champagne just doesn’t agree with me but I didn’t want to say anything…”

Despite his inebriation, Dean seemed to understand and he rolled onto his side getting comfortable next to her. “Shit, I’m sorry. Had no idea.” he said apologetically as he took one of her hands and pressed a sweet kiss to her knuckles; “Rain check for mornin’?”

“Sure, if I feel up to it, Cowboy.” Evie gave him a weak smile. “It’s for the best, I’d say. You’re drunk enough for the both of us.”

“I’m a’right.” Dean failed to stifle a yawn before snuggling against Evie and pulling her close to his chest; “S’long as I got you here, nothin’ else matters. Don’t think I could be happier than this.”

“I know what you mean.” Evie replied, reaching to switch off the bedside lamp before pulling the sheets over them both. “Thank you for agreeing to be my husband.”

“Y’don’t need to thank me, Evie…”Dean murmured sleepily only to trail off as he fell asleep almost instantly, his breathing lapsing into loud snores as he drooled lightly on the pillow next to her.

“Eejit…” she thought aloud, resting her chin atop his head and curling in on her side in the vain hope of getting some semblance of sleep. Yet no matter how hard she tried to relax, her thoughts remained troubled and she sighed, laying on her back and attempting to lull herself by counting Dean’s snores. She had no idea what time it was as the nightstand lacked a clock but the room was nearly pitch black when there was a soft knock at the door.

Moving gingerly to avoid waking Dean, Evie slid out of bed and padded barefoot to the door. Upon opening it a crack, she found Castiel standing before her in his blue cotton pyjamas, a mug of steaming tea in his hand.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked him, blinking against the low light in the hall.

“Your aura seemed troubled. Understandable given the circumstances. I made you some ginger tea. The books tell me it’s good for nausea.” the angel replied kindly as the dark haired woman stepped into the hallway and shut the door with a click.

Taking the mug from him, Evie took a sip and smiled at the sweet gesture.

“You read a pregnancy book, Cas?”

“I read forty seven, actually.”

“Wait, _what?_ ”

He chuckled and motioned for her to follow him into the spacious living room area, finding Sam sprawled out on the overstuffed sofa with a blanket over him as he was absorbed in watching the CNN late night news bulletin.

“When I first sensed your pregnancy and found it to be more than just a fluke, I decided to be proactive and learn as much as I could. I may be as old as the hills but when it comes to matters of human reproduction and biology, I’m afraid I lack knowledge in that area.” Castiel said thoughtfully as he sunk into the nearby loveseat, Evie closely following.

“I think we have a few months before you need to do a course on midwifery, Cas, but I appreciate your hard work. Thank you.” she raised her mug and took another mouthful before glancing at Sam.

“Anything interesting news-wise, Sammy?”

The younger Winchester glanced up and cast a tired smile.

“Just the president being an asshole as usual…”

Evie glanced at the television on the wall and pursed her lips. The newscaster was covering a press conference from the White House and all manner of bulletins scrolled along the bottom of the screen whilst reporters and journalists scrambled to address the man at the podium.

 _“President Rooney Embroiled In Sex Scandal_ ” was the headline of the night and as Evie watched, the residual nausea she had felt all throughout diner returned in full force as she laid eyes upon Jefferson Rooney. Something about his body language send a shiver up her spine and she shook her head sipping at her tea as Sam adjusted the volume a few clicks louder.

 _“Mr President, what is your relationship with Miss Kline and what is your response to the allegations of sexual misconduct?”_ one journalist with a head of bushy red hair asked, springing from her seat to jab a dictaphone towards the podium.

President Rooney- a weedy little man with grey peppered hair and a cocky demeanor-smirked and waved a pair of dismissive hands, shrugging off the question as if she’d simply asked about the weather.

 _“No idea. I’ve never met the woman and I can confirm these allegations are completely unfounded.”_ He flashed a mouthful of unnaturally white teeth as he continued; _“It’s all fake news. Next question.”_

The crowd bayed for blood, practically tripping over themselves to get more answers to dozens of shouted questions, flashes of cameras going off all around which prompted a small seizure warning to pop up in the corner of the news report.

 _“Mr President, Alexis Reid for The Hollywood Examiner-_ ”

 _“Urgh, that rag. Yes, what is your question?”_ President Rooney rolled his eyes and gripped the podium with both hands, his knuckles turning white.

_“-What is your response to the rumors that Kelly Kline is pregnant with your child? Is there any truth to those accusat-”_

_“No more questions!”_ A sunglasses wearing White House adviser snapped, making a cutting motion to his throat to abruptly call an end to the press conference but this only whipped the reporters up into a bigger frenzy and the sheer amount of cameras flashing was enough to leave Evie furiously blinking and rubbing her eyes.

CNN then cut to the sports report and she sat back in the loveseat, drained.

“Whoa, I’m getting major Lewinsky Scandal vibes here. Who is this guy?” she asked and Sam sat up, casting her a confused look.

“You don’t know who Jefferson Rooney is?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Sam, I’m not exactly a local. US politics wreck my head at the best of times so I tend to avoid them like the plague if it can be helped.”

“Fair enough…” Sam shrugged before he stretched and gave a loud yawn; “...How you feelin’?” His mouth broke into a broad smile and he got off the couch, moving to crouch in front of her as his hands hovered over her knees.

“How’s our little potato?”

 _“Potato?”_ Castiel arched an eyebrow in amusement, a gesture mimicked by Evie. She chuckled weakly and set her empty mug on a side table before leaning back to let Sam place his large hands upon her abdomen.

“Can you feel it move at all?” Sam’s voice was full of wonder, his fingers gently brushing against her navel as they dipped under the hem of her pyjama shirt and Evie couldn’t help but admire his enthusiasm. Despite her fears over how Dean might react, it was a comfort to know that Sam and Castiel were on board and fighting her corner.

She placed one of her own hands over his and shook her head.

“I honestly couldn’t tell you, Sam. I only just found out so I don’t really know if... _little potato_ is big enough to kick me yet.” Evie glanced at Castiel and smirked; “Since _you_ seem to know more than you let on, spill the tea, Angel Cakes. How far along am I and what are we having?”

Castiel laughed and shook his head.

“Forgive me if I decide to leave an element of mystery to the proceedings.”

“Aww, c’mon, Cas! Don’t be a tease!” Sam quipped.

The angel rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“I honestly don’t think Dean will appreciate being kept completely out of the loop but if you insist… I believe the child was conceived during our time in Las Vegas which would make Everlyn roughly two to three months pregnant.”  

“Wow! Really?” Sam gasped, his hands sweeping up to cradle Evie’s face as he kissed her deeply; “That’s amazing! _You’re_ amazing, Evie. God, I love you so much. It doesn’t matter if you’ve just made me an uncle or a father. This baby is going to be so loved…!”

Castiel rested his head against Evie’s and reached to thread their fingers together.

“Such a pure little soul. So innocent and unsullied. It’s a joy to feel it grow stronger as the days pass.”

“ _Shit_ … you guys are gonna make me cry…!” Evie sniffled but for once, she was happy to let the tears fall partly from relief and from her own quiet exuberance. Sam sat back at her knee and smiled.

“Unsullied, eh? _‘Grey Worm Winchester’_... has a strange ring to it..!” he said with a hearty laugh.

Evie pelted him with a cushion.

“Don’t be such a cheeseball, Sam!”

“I kid, I kid!”

“We have a lot to think about, not just what to name the child but of how to break the news to Dean.” Castiel said in a serious tone and Evie nodded, sweeping her raven hair back behind her ears.

“I know. I’m utterly dreading that conversation but hey, two outta three ain't bad. Whatever happens tomorrow, we’ll deal with it together, okay? For now, I’ve got too much on my mind to sleep. Can we watch a movie at least?”

Sam nodded and reached for the remote.

“Sure. I was just about to put on the new _Wonder Woman_. I was in the mood for DC but we can watch something else-”

“Ooh, I haven’t seen that one! Go on, Sam. Do what you have to.” Evie patted his head and moved to join him on the larger couch, spooning against him under a thick woollen blanket as he scrolled through Netflix, the atmosphere much more relaxed than before.

Even so, the morning would bring new challenges but in a bid to keep her sanity in check, Evie pushed them to the back of her mind, content to spend her wedding night in the company of two men she loved deeply safe in the knowledge that she was loved in return…

* * *

  


**Back in the future...**

A loud grunt of exertion escaped Diana’s lips as she pushed hard against a stubborn bolt on the left front wheel mount of the Impala, her knuckles whitening against the jack as she struggled to budge it an inch.

“Easy…” came Jack’s voice from nearby and she scowled watching as he crouched before her to inspect the job at hand. The atmosphere between them had been tense since they’d left Franco’s Deli and after a quick trip to the junkyard to collect four reasonably priced tires, Diana had avoided him like the plague as she took to sulking in the garage.

“No, no. I got it.” she gritted out as she channeled all her strength into putting pressure on the jack, sweat beading on her brow. The bolt was wedged fast and she bit out a curse word under her breath as the tool slipped and grazed her palm before clattering to the floor.

“Fuck…!”

Reaching out to her Jack attempted to take her hand and access the small cut that caused droplets of blood to color the concrete but she pulled back and continued to glare at him.

“Diana… don’t be like this. I’m sorry, okay?”

“Hrmph.”

“I just...I _worry_ about you sometimes. Please don’t give me the silent treatment. Let me help you.” His blue eyes burned into hers and her jaw flexed, tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip before she spoke.

“I can do this. Just hand me that tin of Vaseline…”she grumbled, pointing to the little blue and white tin resting atop the rust-covered toolbox nearby.

He sighed and nodded, doing as she asked before he reached into his jeans pocket and fished out a tissue. She yanked it roughly out of his hand and daubed at the shallow graze in her palm before narrowing her eyes at the stubborn bolt and growling low.

“Urgh, fine. Try using your grace on it, Jack...bastardin’ thing won’t budge.”

“Remember what Dean always says: righty-tighty, lefty-loosey.”

Jack took the head of the bolt between thumb and index, ignoring her patented bitch face as he focused on concentrating a small amount of his grace, twisting slowly. The bolt creaked ominously and flakes of rust stirred in protest at his actions but as the seconds passed it became easier to move and soon, the bolt had shifted just enough to allow Diana to mount the last of the wheels.

Standing up, she stretched cat-like before dabbing the grease from her hands with the bloodied tissue and wiping them on the front of her grubby vest.

“Have you thought about what I said in the deli?” Jack asked as she bumped his shoulder shoving past him towards the stairwell. Stilling on the first step, she turned and glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes shooting him daggers.

“This shit again?! Jack, it’s too dangerous. Even if we had Rowena as a safety net, there’s still no guarantee it’ll work. We could wind up trapped in the Middle Ages or something if it all went wrong and don’t even get me _started_ on what could happen if we ran into Mam or Sam or...or…” she trailed off as her fingers twitched with anger before she inhaled sharply and ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

“If...if you were absolutely certain it wouldn’t result in a total disaster, maybe but...but how can we even _hope_ to jump that far back? I haven’t seen Rowena since I was five, Jack. I don’t know if she’s even still alive…”

The blue eyed teen crossed the garage floor and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a meaningful look.

“We can do this together, just the two of us. I’ve been low key reading up on the lore and rituals for the last month. All we need is a conduit of power and well...I _am_ a Nephilim so you can’t get much stronger than that...”

Diana chewed on her lip for a moment before rubbing her forehead.

 _“...Alright._ Can’t believe I’m sayin’ this but if it’ll shut you up...”

“Yeah? You’re with me?” Jack’s thumb rubbed over a small scar on her bare shoulder and she closed her eyes momentarily before nodding, an embattled smile crossing her face.

“You jump, I jump...remember?”

“Heh. I get you. We can begin the ritual _now_ if you’ve got nothing better to do…” Jack said as he pulled back and began to ascend the staircase.

Diana swallowed but nodded before following him, her hand tensing around the metal railing as they headed up into the living quarters and her stomach in knots as doubt and anxiety began to overwhelm her senses. Despite all her instincts screaming at just how much of a colossally bad idea this was, morbid curiosity won out in the end.

She could only hope that she hadn’t bitten off more than she could chew.

  


**Two hours later…**

 

The lid closed with an audible clunk as Diana loaded the last of the supplies into the trunk of the Impala before stepping back to inspect the view. In the middle of the Bunker’s impressive garage, the majority of the floorspace had been decorated by a crudely drawn runic symbol of red spray paint, several candles dotted at the points of the star upon which the Impala rested.

The front passenger door was open and Jack was sat upon the seat, his gaze focused upon the heavy antique spellbook in his hands.

Diana moved to get into the driver’s side but hesitated, her emerald eyes wide as she eyed the book in her friend’s hands.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?”

“I’ve gone over the spell five times in the last hour, Dee. No offense but I’m much more fluent in Latin than yourself. I’ll go slowly, okay? The language is not the trickiest part.” He said confidently as she exhaled deeply and sat down, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.

“Not gonna lie to you, Jay, I’m fucking terrified _._ I’ve seen _Jurassic Park._ Last thing I need is a T-Rex chompin’ on my ass…”

Jack snorted.

“I highly doubt that will happen, Dee but still, I understand your trepidation. Did you have any trouble with the runes?”

“No, I don’t think so. Do you want to double check or-?”

“You’ve always been good at the practical side of rituals, Diana. I trust your judgement. Did you get what I need?”

Diana nodded and reached into the pocket of the old black leather jacket she wore, pulling out a folded piece of newspaper that she spread out on the dashboard in front of him. The headline read in bold black letters:

 _“President Rooney Embroiled In Sex Scandal”_ , the date reading some time in May of 2019. The picture showed a faded photograph of a sleazy looking man with a bad hairpiece smirking directly into the camera whilst in the lower right-hand corner of the front page, there was a smaller portrait of a young woman with long auburn hair and blue eyes, her expression one of quiet pain as she posed stoically.

Jack brushed his fingers across her picture.

“Do you think I might get to meet my mom? I-I know Evie raised me as her own and nothing will ever change that but...well, I guess my curiosity can’t be helped…”

“I get where you’re coming from, Jack. You want to know something that so many of us take for granted: _where do I come from_? Understandable but just remember… Kelly Kline might have given birth to you but family’s not limited to blood.” Diana replied as she slammed the door shut and leaned back in the seat.

“C’mon, let’s get this shitshow on the road.”

Jack nodded and thumbed the tattered pages of the spell book, his fingers tracing the tiny print as he poured over the Latin incantation for the upteenth time. Taking one of Diana’s hands, he closed his eyes and began to utter the spell in slow, concentrated words.

The lights of the garage began to flicker and Diana’s breath hitched with fear. She gripped him tightly, her other hand vice-like on the steering wheel.

The chanting became louder, more frantic as Jack recited the ancient language. She could feel the surge of energy roll off him as the entire room began to rumble, the suspension of the Impala groaning in protest as several lights exploded in a shower of sparks. Despite her growing fear, the young blonde woman bit back the urge to yell out as Jack’s fingers crushed her own and she saw beads of cold sweat pour from his forehead, veins bulging in his temples as he focused his raw power on transporting them towards the date of the news article.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and Diana nearly screamed in alarm as she watched his pupils switch from baby blue to pure gold until, his eyes coloring inky black, a blinding yellow light consumed them both and blasted forth from the inside of the Impala.

It was unclear who screamed first, the sound lost in a deafening cacophony of noise as the Bunker seemed to shatter and crumble around them. Diana felt a ripping sensation behind her navel, pressure building all around her as though her entire body was being pulled apart thread by thread.

She shut her eyes and her hand left Jack’s, both flying to protect her head as reality shattered all around them. The roar reached a crescendo and she could feel her heart threaten to hit cardiac arrest levels of frantic rhythm until as suddenly as it started, the light abruptly cut to black and where there was chaos and noise only silence remained.

“Holy shit…!” she panted as her ears rang from the abrupt switch in volume. Urging herself to stay calm, Diana concentrated on taking deep steadying breaths, feeling every inch of her body ache and hum uncomfortably as it adjusted to the leap through time.

Glancing in Jack’s direction, she reached out in the dim light to touch his shoulder.

“A-Are you okay?!”

He didn’t respond, staring dead eyed at the inky darkness beyond the windscreen before a dangerously shallow breath rasped out of him and he gave an almighty shudder, slumping forward with his forehead thumping off the dashboard. Diana let out a gasp and grabbed him by the back of his sweater, shaking him frantically.

“Jack! _Jack!_ Wake up! Jack, please!” Diana violently shook him but he was out cold, his pulse weak when she touched two fingers to his jugular and his breathing was so low she had to strain her ears to hear him.

“Oh God…!” She rolled down the passenger window and screamed into the void.

“ _Someone! Anyone, help!_ ”

As though it had heard her panicked cries, the darkness began to swirl like paint in water and the nothingness shifted, breaking into hazy morning light as the scenery changed to slowly morph into a secluded parking lot outside a hotel. The silver sign over the entrance read _Cleveland Hilton_ and for the most part, there seemed to be nothing but stark stillness all around.

Diana sat in the driver’s seat for several seconds trying to keep from descending into outright hysteria. The surroundings didn’t seem at all familiar to her but right now, her only priority was getting Jack to safety. She kicked open the door and flew to his side, reaching into the car to tuck her hands under his armpits and haul him from the seat.

Jack was a dead weight, not stirring so much as a single inch as she manhandled him out of the Impala towards the entrance of the hotel. With a grunt, she propped him against her side, slung one of his arms over her shoulder and supported him around the waist her emerald eyes darting frantically around for any passersby that might offer some assistance.

“ _Anybody…?!_ ” she called out, her voice echoing in the early morning quiet as her chest burned with dread.

“Uhh, hey!”

Suddenly, an icy chill rocketed up Diana’s spine. A male voice full of concern stopped her dead in her tracks and for a split second, she could’ve sworn her heart stopped.

“Miss, you need some help?”

It was a voice she’d known her whole life yet one she hadn’t heard in close to two years, a voice she thought she’d never hear again. Sucking in a lungful of oxygen, Diana scrunched her eyes shut momentarily before she found the nerve to turn around…

* * *

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A wild Lucifer appears! Slightly political chapter. And Diana meets a long lost relative...  
> Sorry for the delay! Real life is pretty busy at the moment but I have a mid-term coming up towards the end of October so I'll be utilizing it as best as I can to work on both personal and college projects. For now, please enjoy my latest offering!
> 
> -Chubbs

**CHAPTER FOUR**

 

**The White House, Washington DC, 2019**

“You’ve _ really  _ done it this time, Jeff…” Vice President O’Reilly spat as he glared daggers at the man before him. Jefferson Rooney stood in the middle of the Oval Office peering out of the window behind his desk, a large cigar in one hand and a tumbler of whiskey in the other.

“Oh, shush, Joey!” President Rooney drawled as he sipped on his drink; “It’ll all blow over. You worry too much.” He turned and sat down at the large leather chair, taking a drag from the cigar and exhaling a cloud of foul, sulphur-like smoke that made the other man’s grey eyes water.

“What is going on with you, Jeff? This sexual harassment scandal is bad enough but the whole issue with North Korea is becoming increasingly volatile. There’s only so much damage control my team can do. You keep this up, we’re lookin’ at a full scale war on our hands-!” O'Reilly coughed, waving a hand through the smoke and frowning darkly.

“Kim’s no threat. He’s just an overgrown baby throwin’ his toys out the pram. I can handle him, Joey-”

“Please stop provoking him! I’m _ this _ close to shutting you down on Twitter!” 

At that, President Rooney’s cocky smirk faded and he narrowed his eyes at his Vice President as he leaned back and extinguished his cigar in a nearby ashtray, tenting his fingers together.

“What I do with my social media accounts is no concern of yours, Joey. May I remind you who has the  _ real _ power here? I’m the goddamn President. Perhaps you oughta show me a little respect before you start threatening me.”

O’Reilly stiffened but stood his ground.

“I’ve supported you up to this point but I am truly starting to question your motives these days. It’s like you  _ enjoy _ poking the Korean leader, stirring discontent and posting such inflammatory remarks. Despite what you might have heard, Kim Jong Un has yet to make any strides in shutting down the nuclear sites. He is  _ not  _ a man you should be insulting, Jeff.”

President Rooney shrugged and took a sip of whiskey.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He glanced down at the various newspapers spread across the desk and sniffed, thumbing his nose; “Have a drink with me, Joey. Talk me through the press junket. How’d we do?”

O’Reilly grimaced and walked to the bar in the corner, pouring himself a triple vodka and downing half the glass in a single gulp.

“As to be expected. This whole business with Miss Kline is extremely delicate even without the pregnancy rumours. You always prided yourself on being a man of virtue but lately, it’s like...I don’t know...like you’ve become a completely different person since this term began.”

“What do you mean, Joey?” President Rooney cocked his head to one side and his dark gaze pierced through the younger man.

“Sometimes I think it isn’t really  _ you _ in there, Jeff. I honestly don’t know what’s going on inside your head anymore. Look at yourself!”O’Reilly pointed to the glass of whiskey on the desk and glowered; “Before you won the election, you didn’t even  _ drink! _ You said it was a sinful vice that clouds the mind and now here you are knockin’ back the Jack Daniels like it’s water. You’ve  _ changed _ , man. And not in a good way.”

A devilish grin spread across President Rooney’s face and he swiveled lightly in his seat, throwing his hands up.

“What can I say? I get stressed. Big deal-!”

“There’s a difference between being stressed and acting like you’re  _ possessed! _ ” O’Reilly snapped as he rubbed his temples and finished the rest of his vodka. “Check in with your doctor. We are beginning to question your mental capacity to hold the presidency.”

“Whose ‘ _ we _ ’?”

“Not just myself. Your friends, family, advisors, Hell, even the public. We’re all getting worried, Jeff. This job can make even the strongest men crumble. You need to be on the ball. Just… just talk to the psych team, okay? How can you expect to take care of the country when you can’t take care of  _ yourself _ ?”

President Rooney snorted and propped his feet up on the desk getting comfortable as he took to reigniting his cigar.

“Your concern is so touching, Joey. I’m  _ truly _ moved. Now…” He picked up the nearest broadsheet and studied the headline image on the front which was of an attractive blue-eyed woman with long auburn hair staring into the camera with a look of deep discomfort upon her face before he proceeded to burn both her eyes out with the glowing end of his cigar.

“...What do we do to make this little problem go away?”

O’Reilly sighed and shook his head.

“Well, she’s already gone public.  _ The Hollywood Examiner _ broke the story first and it spread like wildfire in a matter of hours. I’ve been fielding questions all day. I’m not a press secretary. This is beyond my pay grade.”

“I’m well aware of that fact, Joey, but I still hold your opinion in high regard.” President Rooney drawled as he let the newspaper flutter to the floor in a shower of smouldering pages; “Be honest.”

Rubbing a hand over his chin, O’Reilly thought for a moment before pouring himself another vodka and leaning against the bar. “I will if you’ll be with me. Tell me the truth, Jeff. Did you  _ really _ sleep with Kelly Kline?”

President Rooney rolled his eyes to the ceiling and let out a deep, rumbling chuckle.

“A gentleman never kisses and tells!”

“Ohh, for cryin’ out loud…!” O’Reilly groaned and shook his head, sinking down into one of the plush sofas and feeling exhaustion begin to sneak upon him. “Are you  _ serious? _ ”

“Relax, Joey. I had her sign an NDA which she  _ clearly  _ went and broke so we’ve got her over a barrel on that one. Don’t worry. I’ve got my own ways of dealin’ with a shitstorm like this. Just sit back and wait.” President Rooney finished his drink and licked droplets of whiskey from his lips, his smile predatory.

“I can make this whole mess  _ disappear. _ ”

O’Reilly tensed at that, a shiver rippling up his spine that he struggled to ignore. Something about the President’s expression deeply unnerved him but given how exhausted he felt, the younger man decided to chalk it up to one of the most stressful weeks of the presidency to date and took to knocking back his drink.

Clearly, he was going to need a  _ lot _ more vodka…

* * *

  
  


**Cleveland, Ohio, 2019**

Pulling his headphones from his ears, Sam Winchester frowned at the sight before him: a pale young woman with short blonde hair struggling to haul an unconscious man in a threadbare sweater across the carpark, her face frozen like a deer in the headlights.

“Miss, are you alright?” Sam asked stepping forward to gently touch her nearest shoulder. She proceeded to flinch as if he’d burned her, a strangled yelp escaping her lips when she snapped out of her shocked stupor.

“I...My friend, he…” Diana stammered as she struggled to regain her composure having been completely blindsided by the sudden appearance of her favorite uncle. Breathing heavily, she shook her head and forced her face into an embattled smile as she hitched Jack’s arm up around her shoulders.

“...H-He passed out in the car. Smacked his head on the dashboard. Scared the  _ shit _ out of me!”

Sam gave her a sidelong glance. “Uhh, has he been drinkin’ or…?”

“Y-Yeah! Yeah, straight whiskey an’ low blood pressure are a pretty shitty combination, heh. I’m the designated driver. We...uh… just graduated. Things got kinda rowdy at the bar...” Diana replied, fumbling over the words as she traded shock for business mode, her heart hammering inside her chest so loud it was almost deafening.

“Okay, you stayin’ here?” Sam gestured to the hotel, his expression full of concern; “Let’s get him inside and I can take a look at him. I’m no paramedic but I know a lil’ basic first aid.”

Diana nodded, chewing her lip as she tried hard to quell the panic building inside of her.

“T-thank you.”

Taking over from where Diana clearly struggled to drag her friend to the door of the hotel, Sam swept the unconscious man into a fireman’s lift and walked into the foyer area, closely flanked by the young woman in his charge who sprinted to catch up. 

Laying Jack down on a nearby sofa, Sam crouched in front of him and checked for a pulse rate. There was a shallow scrape on Jack’s forehead that was lightly bleeding and he mumbled faintly in his sleep but otherwise did not react to the older man checking him over.

“I don’t think he’s in any real danger of having a concussion; “Sam stood up and folded his arms over his chest; “...But you mentioned low blood pressure?”

“Y-Yeah.... Not-not the first time he’s passed out on me but it’s been a while.” Diana fretted, her eyes darting around in quiet fear of running into any more family members.

“What room are you in? I’ll help you bring him up. I think it’s best to let him sleep it out.”

“Uh... _ Oh _ !” Realization crashed over Diana and she drummed her fingers on her bottom lip, avoiding Sam’s gaze as she glanced towards the reception desk. “We literally _ just _ got here. Haven’t checked in yet. Uhm... _ be right back! _ ” 

Before Sam had a chance to say anything further, the spooked young woman darted towards the desk and slumped against it, her lungs burning as she urged herself to stay calm and not outright hyperventilate.

_ Talk about dropping us right into the deep end… _ ! She thought to herself, moving to fish her wallet out of an inner pocket of her leather jacket with shaking hands. 

Thumbing through the numerous fraudulent credit cards she had lifted from the Bunker storage, she quickly counted the pre-war bills in the pocket and prayed the $567 would be enough to cover a room for the night.

“Hello, can I help you?” A clerk came to the desk, startling Diana from her reverie.

Clearing her throat loudly, she nodded franticly and leaned forward on the desk.

“Y-yeah, sorry it’s kinda last minute but I _ really _ need a room for the night.”

“Sure thing…”the clerk said kindly as she pulled up the vacancies on the computer; “Single, twin or double? How long will you be staying?”

“Uhh… how much is a double for one night?”

“I can put you in room 405 for the night. No set checkout time, double bed. Standard breakfast is included but there’ll be additional charges for room service. It’ll be $350.”

Diana nodded and handed over the cash.

“That’ll work. Uhm, can I ask you somethin’ real quick? It’s kind of a request…”

The clerk nodded, placing the money into the cash register.

“Sure thing.”

“Can you tell me which room th-the Winchesters are staying in? I-I missed their wedding but as fate would have it, I managed to swing the weekend off an’ surprise them.  _ Don’t let on I’m here! _ ” Diana wheezed out, flustered as she watched the clerk arch an eyebrow.

“Uhh, okay. What’s your name?”

“R-Rose. Rosie Calvert. I’m a family friend.”

_ What the fuck am I doing?! _

The clerk tapped several keys on the computer, pushing her glasses up her nose.

“The Winchesters are in room 403 just across the hall from you, actually. Will that work-?”

“Yes, yes! That’s  _ perfect! _ Thank you so much. Again, I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention it to them? They haven’t seen me in over a year so…” Diana trailed off, huffing out a breath as she was handed a heavy brass key with a large white keyring dangling from it baring the room number.

The clerk chuckled and tapped her nose in a knowing gesture.

“No problem. We do it all the time. Have a nice stay, Miss Calvert. If you need anything else, just call down to this desk. We’re number two on speed dial. Have a good night!”

Diana nodded and gave a thin-lipped smile but didn’t trust herself to speak any further. Pocketing the room key, she sprinted back to the foyer and found Sam cradling Jack in his arms waiting for her to direct him to wherever they were staying.

“Everything good?” Sam asked, cocking his head.

“Y-Yes, thank you! We’re...uh... up on the fourth floor. Room 405.” Diana pushed her fringe out of her face and cast him a toothy, nervous smile; “C’mon, let’s get this drunken eejit to bed!”

A low chuckle rumbled in Sam’s chest as they walked quickly towards the elevators.

“Heh, wild night?” he asked in an amused tone as the doors opened and they stepped inside the thankfully empty space. Diana shuffled into the corner and hugged her arms around herself, staring down at the toes of her combat boots.

“You could say that. Yourself?”

“In town for a wedding. My brother’s.” Sam replied as he deftly punched the button for the fourth floor. 

“ _ Ohh… _ ” Diana’s head shot up, her wide emerald eyes meeting his hazel and she felt her lungs constrict at the familiar expression of kindness in Sam’s face. Her stomach knotted and churned, every fibre of her being screaming to embrace him and never let go but she held on tightly to herself, chewing her lip as she watched each floor number flash before her.

“C-Congrats.”

“Thanks. Here we go…” there was loud ding and much too quickly, the elevator doors slid open onto a long corridor decorated in beige and red. Sam stepped outside and gave a quick nod, quietly urging her on.

Diana glanced in the direction he walked, following behind with nerves and nausea rising up her throat as they soon came to the end of the corridor standing outside a simple oak door. She stared at him for a moment before she found the strength to find the key and unlock it.

“Are you okay? You seem  _ spooked. _ ” Sam asked as he stepped inside and gently lay Jack down on the plush double bed that took up most of the floor space in the room.

Perching herself on the edge of the mattress, Diana ran her fingers through her hair and chuckled weakly.

“Sorry, I just… I’m worried about Jack, naturally… but yeah, he should be okay if he sleeps it off. He’ll be hungover to Hell in the mornin’ but I _ did  _ warn him…”

“Ahh, to be young and indestructible!” Sam laughed as he stood up and headed for the door; “My partner swears by Gatorade and a bacon sandwich as a cure-all, just so you know. Might be worth trying...”

“Will do.” Diana stood up and extended a hand. “I’m D-” she stopped herself in time, fixing her face into a reasonably calm expression as she felt an all too familiar large hand encircle her own.

“R-Rose. Thanks for your help. You really didn’t need to…”

“It’s no trouble. I’m Sam. I’m just across the hall if you need any further help but I think you’ve got it all covered here. Good night!” 

“Mmm. _Night!”_

Sam nodded and gave a polite wave before he slipped outside and shut the door behind him. Slumping once more on to the bed, Diana felt her resolve begin to crumble. She whimpered and pushed the heels of her hands into her eyes, biting back a sob as her heart ached with quiet longing and her shoulders shuddered from the exertion of holding it all in.

Seeing Sam so happy and carefree had been a total shock to the system and in the stillness of the hotel room, it hit her like a ton of bricks. She trembled as she sat on the bed quietly sobbing, pain and grief overwhelming her until, curling up next to a near comatose Jack, Diana cried herself into a turbulent slumber…   
  


* * *

 

**Several hours later…**   
  


Burying his head underneath the overstuffed pillow, Dean let out a whine as natural sunlight flooded the hotel room. Pushing the curtains wide open, Evie folded her arms over her chest and shook her head as she gazed upon her husband who was currently gripped by the mother of all hangovers.

“How’s yer head?” she asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“No complaints so far…”he quipped from under the sheets and Evie rolled her eyes, reaching to lightly swat him.

“I meant the  _ hangover _ , ya feckin’ eejit!”

Rolling onto his back, Dean grimaced as the light burned his eyes and he let out a high pitched groan, flinging an arm over his face as his temples throbbed with the lingering pain of a champagne supernova.

“Everything hurts an’ I’m dying…!”

“Well, you _ did _ drink close to four bottles of champers last night. If I listen closely, pretty sure I can actually hear your liver screamin’...”

Dean grunted and rubbed his face, gingerly sitting upright. The simple action caused his stomach to churn violently and he almost choked as nausea threatened to surge up his throat. Curling the bedsheets around himself, he squinted in the light and studied his wife with tired, bloodshot eyes.

“Well, aren’t you perky this mornin’? Thought you said champagne didn’t agree with you-”

“I paced myself.” Evie murmured, hating the lie as she turned away from him; “ Hang tight, I’ll go get you some water.” Before he had a chance to protest she stood up and walked the short distance to the ensuite bathroom, filling one of the glasses containing their toothbrushes before, taking a sip herself, she sighed deeply as she caught her reflection in the mirror above the sink.

_ Tell him the truth. Don’t draw it out. _

“Urgh…” Sighing deeply, she ran her fingers through her crow’s nest of black hair and splashed water on her face. 

Her first official day as Mrs Everlyn Winchester was all set to be a turbulent one and she found herself shivering not from the chill of the cool bathroom tiles at her bare feet but from fear and anxiety over an uncertain future. For once in over a week, she hadn’t woken to debilitating morning sickness but it was still early enough and she bit her lip, urging herself to stay calm.

_ I’ll tell him once he sorts his head out… maybe when he’s driving…? N-No...don’t risk a car crash, you idiot! _

“Baby, you okay?” Dean’s voice by the door made her jump and water splashed onto the floor.

Fixing her face into what she hoped was a neutral expression, Evie turned and found a disheveled Dean standing nearby with a sheet wrapped around him. Despite the dehydration and scruffy stubble upon his face, he watched her with curiosity in his evergreen eyes as she handed him the glass.

“I’m fine. You, on the other hand...go back to bed. I’ll give you a head massage.”

And there it was- the cocky grin returned despite the pain throbbing behind his eyes.

“Can I have a happy ending?”

“Don’t push it!”

Dean gave a weak chuckle and drained the water in two gulps. 

“Want some Tylenol or…?” Evie’s voice was softer as she turned towards the medicine cabinet in search of the small First Aid kit she had taken to bringing everywhere since she first became a hunter.

“I’ll be alright..” Dean replied; “ Not the worst hangover I’ve experienced and certainly won’t be the last. What was it you told me works best...fried food and Gatorade?”

“Mmm. Wanna order room service and just veg for a while? I was gonna take a shower but it can wait. I’ll let you recover before you go washin’ my back.”Evie chuckled and slipped past him, but Dean caught her hand in his and she turned met with a concerned expression.

“Evie… you sure you’re okay? This past week with that food poisonin’ scare… and the nerves before the wedding...I’m just a lil’ worried-”

She snorted. “Don’t be. I’m fine.  _ I’m fine! _ Now get on the bed, Cowboy.”

“Heh...yes, ma’am!” Dean smirked once more and with a little more spring in his step now that he had been reasonably hydrated, he proceeded to flop onto the bed and get comfortable, the plush duvet barely concealing his modesty as he sprawled out in a leisurely fashion.

Perching herself on the edge of the bed, Evie reached for the phone on the nightstand and dialed down for room service.

“Want anything specific?” she asked, glancing at Dean over her shoulder. He smiled and moved to kiss the nape of her neck.

“Just you, Sweetheart… though maybe call down for a can of whipped cream?”

“Wow, frisky much?” Evie drawled but before Dean could continue that train of thought, the call patched through and she cleared her throat loudly.

“Hi, this is Mrs Winchester in room 403. I’d like to order two of your finest full continental breakfasts...uhh, yeah, orange juice is fine!....White pudding on one, please. Yup...half an hour? Brilliant, thank you so much! Bye!”

She placed the handset down with a click only to gasp as several calloused yet gentle fingers slipped beneath her camisole top to caress down the length of her spine. The mattress shifted and Dean’s lips kissed her softly at the base of her skull.

“Mrs. Winchester...heh. I love it. I love  _ you _ .”

“ _ Dean…” _ Evie whimpered his name as she felt his hands slip along her sides, ghosting over the curve of her breasts as he began to gently suck a mark on her collarbone.

“Half a hour ‘til the food arrives, huh? I can think of a few ways to pass the time.” He nipped her lightly and purred out a husky laugh but Evie frowned and twisted around to face him.   
  


“You were  _ dyin’ _ a minute ago!”

“Heh, second wind!” Dean sprung out of bed, the duvet dropping to the floor as he gave his wife an eyeful before he swept her up into his arms. “Gonna get you nice an’ wet!”

“You’re an idiot!” Evie bit back a giggle as he kissed her sweetly on the forehead.

“Says the woman who _married_ me!”

At that, he carried her into the bathroom and together, they wasted no time in enjoying the finer aspects of the Pulse shower setting…

 

* * *

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: OMG, so sorry about the delay on getting this chapter out! I am almost up to my eyeballs with college work and deadlines so fanfiction has somewhat taken a backseat to more important IRL priorities. Still, I have a fuckton of notes and bullet points plotted for this story so fret not, I'm still heavily invested in this one.  
> Please kindly excuse me if the updates slow down from here on out- I'm juggling portfolio building, writing a screenplay and learning how to use an number of Adobe Cloud programs so I'm BUSY AS FUCK. Never fear, though- here is the much delayed Chapter Five.
> 
> Feel free to like, download, leave a comment or mash the kudos button if you want.
> 
> For now, I do hope you'll enjoy!
> 
> -Chubbs

**CHAPTER FIVE**

A shuddering sound roused Jack from his unconscious state. Blinking in the dim light, he slowly sat upright and reached out to feel around for the source. His fingers brushed the shivering leather-clad shoulder of Diana and she sprang awake, her strong hand tightening reflexively around his wrist.

“Dee… wh-where am I?” Jack asked in a hoarse tone and the mattress shifted as she moved, rolling towards him to throw her arms around his neck.

“Finally, you’re awake. You scare the  _ shit  _ outta me!”

“What happened?” He gently pried her off him and held her at arm’s length, his blue eyes narrowing in concern. In the low light, he could make out the tracks of tears streaking her cheeks and a certain redness lining her eyes but she simply sniffled loudly and rubbed at her face with the back of her hands.

“Does it matter? We survived the time jump… we’re exactly where we need to be-”

_ “Diana. _ ” Jack’s thumbs ran over her knuckles and he scooted forward just enough to close the gap between them. “You’ve been crying…”

“I…” She pinched the bridge of  her nose and exhaled sharply, unable to look at him as fresh tears threatened to fall; “....I saw Sam. H-He looked so young a-and…” trailing off as she began to shudder with suppressed sobs.

“How close are we to…?” Jack queried but she turned away and pulled off her leather jacket, throwing it in a heap on the floor before doing the same to her boots.

“T-They’re right across the hall, Jack.” Diana whispered, peering over her shoulder at him.

Eyes widening, Jack placed a hand on her now bare forearm and gave it a comforting squeeze. He wanted to say something,  _ anything _ , to soothe her. No doubt encountering her uncle after all that had happened less than two years ago had to be painful but to be so close to their family yet so far… he swallowed back the cliched words and instead swept his hands down towards her waist, pulling her close against his chest.

“Breathe, Dee…” he said gently as his breath tickled her ear. She whimpered and bit her lip but did not protest his actions, her own hands threading his as they spooned on the bed.

“What do we do now?”

“I honestly have no fuckin’ idea, Jack…” Diana sniffled, a weak smile pulling at her mouth as she gave him a sidelong glance. “We have to be careful… I-I don’t really know much about the rules of time travel but from what Ma told me, nothing good ever comes from messing with it. Still…” she twisted around and placed her head on Jack’s shoulder, closing her eyes as the tears gave way to the makings of a headache; “...We’re here in one piece so that’s a win, I guess…”

“You saw Sam?” Jack asked as he stroked one hand lightly down her spine; “That….I can’t even  _ imagine… _ ”

“Y-Yeah… it was weird seeing him clean shaven...and  _ alive _ …”

Jack glanced at the door. “How long was I out?”

“Couple o’ hours....I paid for one night’s room an’ board. Let’s just sleep for a while until we figure out our next move, okay? My heart hurts.” Diana tugged the duvet up around them both and made herself comfortable using Jack’s chest as a pillow.

He nodded and rested his chin atop her head watching quietly as she settled into an uneasy sleep, her breathing ragged from holding in the urge to cry until after several minutes, she finally calmed and began to lightly snore. 

Jack continued to slowly brush his fingers up her spine, feeling each knot of tension and the vague outlines of her vertebrae beneath the threadbare vest she wore as he traced nonsense patterns. Every so often, Diana would twitch in her sleep, nuzzling closer to him for comfort until her legs were tangled around his in a mess of limbs and sheets.

All the while, Jack stayed awake, his deep blue eyes fixed either on the large crack in the ceiling above the bed or upon the bedroom door. It didn’t take much concentration to feel the familiar auras from across the hall: Dean and Evie locked together in a tryst, their atoms vibrating and smashing together with energetic speed that was near impossible to ignore.

_ Nothing new there… _ he thought to himself, blushing.

Despite the exhaustion that gripped him, Jack still found he had enough strength to reach beyond this floor, searching with his somewhat diminished grace until he found Sam, his aura showing signs of exertion and fatigue as he was probably exercising somewhere on the ground floor.

As the minutes turned to hours and the small stripe of light under the hem of the curtains began to grow brighter, Jack found himself struck with a pang of hunger in his stomach. As gingerly as he could, he disentangled himself from Diana and moved slowly until he could stand by the side of the bed. He watched the young blonde woman mumble something incoherent in her sleep before rolling onto her back, one arm slung lazily over her face as a line of drool began to drip from the side of her mouth.

“I’ll be quick, I promise…” Jack whispered but if Diana had heard him at all, she made no indication save for a loud snore.

Exhaling deeply, Jack began to button up his sweater before turning the handle of the door. It creaked slightly under his hand but the noise didn’t seem to rouse his sleeping friend. He pushed open the door and stepped out into the hallway, glancing around for any passersby.

“Hmm…” Jack walked around for a moment before finding himself at the elevators. Out of curiosity, he pressed the Down button and waited for the doors to open. Finding one empty, he stepped inside and headed for the ground floor. A sign on the inside of the elevator informed him of a free all-you-can-eat buffet in Conference Room B and his stomach rumbled once again.

Stepping out into the lobby of the hotel, Jack peered at the signs on the walls following them until he reached his destination. By now, it was lunchtime judging by the time on the large ornate clock over the spacious buffet and around a dozen people milled about the makeshift dining room either getting food or seated at several small tables.

The smell of freshly baked croissants, scrambled eggs and coffee hung heavily in the air and Jack couldn’t help but let out an audible groan. He quickly loaded up a plate of his own with a huge pile of eggs and bacon relishing the opportunity for a proper homemade meal when he paused mid-pour of his coffee.

The aura he felt was much more powerful than the three he’d sensed previously but it was well hidden, almost undetectable to all but those with celestial powers themselves. Jack’s chest constricted and he found his stomach knotting for an entirely different reason besides hunger.

_ Don’t turn around… be incognito. _ He told himself, snapping out of it just enough to stop his coffee cup from overflowing.

Less than five feet behind him, Sam and Castiel had joined the buffet queue chatting amongst themselves and Jack closed his eyes as he eavesdropped on the conversation.

“...What, like a disturbance in the  _ Force _ , Cas?” Sam said, amusement in his words as he grabbed three slices of wholemeal toast and several packets of butter.

“This is not the time to joke around, Sam.” Castiel replied and Jack could almost _ see _ the angel’s frown; “I’m surprised it didn’t wake you up. The last time I felt a universal shift of this magnitude, we were blessed with Everlyn’s presence. However, giving that Lucifer now walks among us, I have good reason to be fearful.”

“What’re you thinkin’, Cas? Is Lucifer on the move?” Sam replied, all mirth dropped from his voice in favor of concern.

“I’m not sure but this temporal shift is not something we should ignore. My advice would be to get back to the Bunker as quickly as possible. We can devise a plan from there.”

Sam nodded and sighed, his arm grazing Jack’s side as he moved to make himself a cup of herbal tea. “Dean’s not gonna be pleased. Guess the honeymoon’s over before it really began, huh?”

_ I better get out of here… _ Jack thought inwardly, taking up three croissants for Diana as he tried to slyly maneuver himself out of the space. He walked slowly, concentrating on suppressing his grace to the best of his abilities and was almost at the threshold to the lobby when a pair of footsteps echoed on the linoleum floor.

“Uh, hey! Good to see you up an’ about!”

Jack almost dropped his plate but he held steady, determined not to react.  Turning his head slowly he was met with Sam’s kind hazel gaze.

“Uhh, sorry...do I know you?” Jack kept his voice impassive.

“Heh, not really but I helped you and your…I wanna say  _ girlfriend... _ ? Yeah, we helped put you to bed earlier. Man, you were _ wasted!  _ You okay, dude _? _ ”Sam chuckled.

“I-I’m fine. If you’ll excuse me, I have to go back to my room-”Jack mumbled, speeding up his steps as panic began to grow inside his chest.

“Uhh, okay? Heh, headache must be makin’ you grumpy, I guess. Tell Rosie I said hey!”

Jack frowned, glancing at Sam from over his shoulder but before he could ask what he meant, the young man found a pair of deep blue eyes burning into his own. Met with the calm, calculated gaze of Castiel, a ripple of fear shot up Jack’s spine and he grimaced as the urge to take off in a full run bubbled beneath the surface.

Castiel stepped forward, glancing between Jack and Sam as his eyes narrowed and a crinkle formed between his brows.

“Sam… a word?”

_ Oh, shit…! _

Seizing the opportunity afforded by Sam turning towards the angel, Jack all but power walked towards the elevators, his hands a deathgrip on the plate of food he stubbornly held onto. Once inside, he punched the button to the 4th floor and slumped into the corner breathing heavily.

The elevator took a laboriously long time to get to its’ destination, stopping twice on the 2nd and 3rd floors to pick up other passengers until finally, the doors opened onto the 4th floor hallway. Breath burning his nostrils, Jack stormed out of the elevator and felt out with his grace for Diana’s aura, still fast asleep and oblivious.

Stood outside the hotel room door, Jack bit back a curse upon realizing he was effectively locked out and he glanced around the corridor, thankful that it was empty. Swearing under his breath, he pushed his hair out of his face and set the plate of food down on the floor before, crouched at the keyhole, he pulled the leg of his combat pants up and reached for the Swiss Army knife he kept strapped to his right ankle.

He quickly flipped through the numerous attachments until he found the lockpick and soon, he had set to work trying to remember all that Sam had taught him about pins and tumblers. So absorbed in trying to jimmy open the door, Jack was barely aware of the sound of another door opening until, in a deep, rich voice, an incredulous laugh rang out across the hallway.

“Lockpickin’s kinda _illegal_ , dontcha think?”

Jack bristled from fear but said nothing, his hands speeding up their movements and almost fumbling the knife as Dean Winchester’s voice echoed in his ear.

“Dean, maybe we should go get the manager…” a low female voice with a touch of an Irish accent followed and Jack grimaced as the pick caught in the lock, causing him to jerk it sharply.

“No need. There’s a security camera right there, Sweetheart.”

_ Shit shit shit! C’mon! Open already! _

Jack gritted his teeth, praying the lock would budge before Dean and Evie felt inclined to bring him to task over his actions. He twisted his wrist hard and a loud clunk rang out through the hallway. Wasting no time, Jack scrambled for the handle and mercifully the door swung open. He was almost inside before remembering the plate of food, he thrust one hand out and pulled it over the threshold slopping egg onto the carpet before shutting the door with an audible bang.

The noise caused Diana to spring awake and fumble wildly for a weapon but upon seeing the panic on Jack’s face, she blinked at him and swung her legs over the edge of the mattress.

“J-Jack-?! What’s going on-?”

“We have to get out of here, Dee. I think Castiel is onto us.”

“ _What?!_ _Jack, what did you do?_!”

Sighing Jack placed the plate of food on the nightstand and sat down on the edge of the bed running his hands down his face in quiet exasperation.

“I’m sorry.... I was hungry. I wasn’t thinking clearly-”

“Yeah, no shit…” Diana snapped as she reached for a croissant and proceeded to tear off chunks, chewing slowly as flakes of pastry peppered the sheets; “What now? Do they know exactly who we are or..?”

“Sam tried to talk to me. No idea why. Did something happen when I was knocked out?”

“Yeah… I ran into him in the parking lot right after the time jump. I was draggin’ your sorry ass to the hotel when bam- _ a wild Sam Winchester appears! _ He insisted on helping me get to you bed.”

Groaning, Jack massaged his temples and exhaled sharply.

“I-I had to pick the lock on the door to get back in here. Got caught on camera  _ and  _ your parents saw me to boot. Diana, we have to get out of here fast-!”

Frowning darkly, Diana set aside the remains of her croissant and took to tugging on her boots and jacket before she stood up and roughly slapped Jack on the chest as she passed him. Opening the door a crack, she peered down the hall and grimaced as she spotted the clerk from the reception desk talking to Sam outside along with a burly security guard.

“ _ Fuuuck… _ .!” Diana gritted out, bracing herself against the door.

“I could try teleportation-” Jack offered but was met with a haughty glare as Diana ran her hands through her hair.

“Dude, you  _ literally _ threw us both through time. You’re weak and I’m not taking that chance. We do things the old fashioned way. We either sneak out or just run for it.”

“I don’t know-”

“It’s not up for debate, Jack! We came here to kill Lucifer, not plan a family reunion! C’mon, no more dawdling. We run on my signal.”

Jack opened his mouth to protest but was cut short as his companion threw open the door and stepped into the hallway. A few feet away, Sam was speaking with the security guard and clerk, his back to the two wayward teenagers. Diana held up two fingers and wiggled them as Jack followed her a few hesitant steps in the opposite direction.

They were almost at the elevators when a shout from down the hall caused Diana to jump.

“Hey, you! Stop right there!”

The sound of thundering footsteps clattered against the hardwood floors and Jack lunged forward, the elevator doors opening just enough for him to fall inside dragging Diana with him. Panicked, she stabbed at the button for the lobby, green eyes widening as she saw the burly guard flanked by Sam edge ever closer.

“C’mon, you  _ sonofabitch! _ ” Diana growled as she repeatedly jammed her index against the Door Closure button.

Just as the doors were about to slam shut, a pair of large hands thrust forth and gripped the edges to pry them open. The teens shrunk into the corner of the elevator, Jack’s hand gripping the Swiss Army knife concealed in his jacket pocket whilst Diana had her fists raised in a defensive stance.

“Not so fast…” came a calm but authoritative voice and Diana felt her stomach do a somersault as the steel doors opened to reveal none other than Sam stood before her, his hazel eyes narrowed in suspicion…

* * *

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's Note** : Welp, this took an _abnormally_ long time (for me at least) to come together. Between some debilitating health issues, college kicking my ass and an ancient laptop that is dying a slow, agonizing death, instances where I can write uninterrupted have been few and far between. However, I'm invested in this fanfic and by GRABTHAR'S HAMMER, I WILL FINISH IT. Special shout out to the lovely MaggiesAngel (https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaggiesAngel/pseuds/MaggiesAngel) who I met on the AO3 Facebook Writer's Group- she kept my motivation up, helped me work out the bugs with some upcoming plot points and generally acted as an entuasiastic cheerleader.
> 
> Thank you kindly, m'dear! I'm cooking things up behind the scenes for you!
> 
> And now, I'll shut up and let y'all get on with enjoying this latest installment. Updates may be a bit sporadic in future as I tackle real life things but don't worry, I've got **27 pages worth** of plot points to work with. We're golden.
> 
> Enjoy! 
> 
> -Chubbs

**CHAPTER SIX**

 

“So… wanna give me the _full_ story or take this show down to the police station?”

Diana inhaled a sharp breath and forced herself to look up into the eyes of none other than Sam Winchester. He stood before her in grey sweats and running shoes, a deep furrow between his brows as his hazel eyes bore into hers.

He had insisted on escorting her and Jack to the lobby of the hotel and now, faced with Dean, Castiel and her mother, Diana was trying her damndest to stay calm in the face of a potential shitstorm. The clerk and security guard stood nearby watching the two wayward teenagers with suspicion ready to call the authorities at a moment’s notice.

“This is just a misunderstanding, I assure you.” Jack stated calmly, a hand on Diana’s shoulder as he stood behind her; “I got locked out of our room and I...I panicked.”

“A likely excuse…” Dean drawled, tapping his foot as he stood; “Clerk says you asked to be roomed next to us.. Mentioned our names specifically. Spit it out. What’s going on?”

Jack swallowed and glanced at the clerk and security guard.

“Not here… we mean no harm, you have my word on that.”

“W-We’re in the same boat!” Diana fumbled over the words as the panic began to rise in her chest. She smiled in spite of herself and ran her hand over the short locks of her hair before dipping her voice low; “We’re tryna get the jump on Lucifer too…”

At that, Evie’s eyes widened and she glanced between Sam and Dean.

“...Young hunters?”

“Y-Yeah! That’s it. I...I’m in the family business, s-so to speak!” Diana replied, unable to look at her mother as a hard ball of anxiety lodged in her throat. It was so surreal hearing her voice and as the young woman sat hunched in an overstuffed armchair surrounded by all the people she had lost in life, Diana’s heart hammered inside her chest over the sheer absurdity of the situation.

She felt Jack’s fingers tense upon her shoulder and she glanced up at him, seeing his jaw flex with the struggle to stay calm.

“You can trust us.” he said slowly, meeting Dean’s haughty gaze. “We share a common enemy.”

The eldest Winchester rolled his eyes and he glanced at Sam as he folded his arms over his chest.

“You buyin’ this?”

Shaking his head, Sam frowned and sat down on the poof next to Diana, hunching forward to study her face in the mid-afternoon light. There was something familiar about her that he couldn’t quite place, a strange sense of deja vu that had low-key nagged at him since they first met several hours prior.

“Start from the beginning.” He offered slowly, clasping his hands together; “Give us your _real_ names at least.”

Diana looked up at her uncle and swallowed hard, her green eyes quickly darting to Jack in a silent plea.

“No time like the present, Dee…” the Nephilim sighed wearily as he pushed his hair out of his eyes; “They’re only going to find out eventually.”

“Fine…” Diana huffed out a breath and shook an index at her friend; “...But if the universe collapses in on itself, I’m coming for you, dickbag.”

Sam, Dean and Evie waited expectantly as the young woman leaned back and fluffed her hair. She took a deep, steadying breath before focusing her green eyes directly on Evie. Her smile was pained and Diana struggled to find the right words much less keep calm. When she didn’t speak for almost a full minute, Jack took it upon himself to fill in the gaps.

“My name is Jack and this is my close friend Diana.” he said clearly; “This is going to sound insane but you need to believe us as time is of the essence. We have leapt through time and space to stop the world from going to Hell quite literally at the hands of Lucifer.”

“Excuse me, _what…?_!” Dean responded, eyes going wide. Diana’s lips thinned hard and her whole body tensed as she slumped in the seat, avoiding his gaze as Jack’s words hung in the air.

Suddenly there was a yelp of alarm and the young blonde woman looked up just in time to see Jack get a faceful of holy water as Dean splashed him with the contents of his hip flask. As she watched her father get ready to pull out his hunting knife and perform the Leviathan check, Diana sprang unsteadily to her feet and placed a firm hand on his chest, stepping between him and Jack.

“No need for that!We’re friendlies! I promise you it ain’t some elaborate ruse. It’s the truth, hard as it may be to believe-”

“ _Bullshit!_ I don’t know what kind of scam you two are pullin’ but it ends today.” Dean growled out as he stashed his knife and gave a nod to the security guard, who lifted his head towards the growing tension in the air.

“Dad, please! You’re being unreasonable-!” Diana blurted as Dean made strides towards the reception desk hellbent on alerting the authorities. At that, he stopped and whipped his head towards her, wrinkling his nose.

“ _Dad?_ Sweetheart, you sure got it twisted! There’s no way in _Hell_ -”

“Will you just _listen_ to us, assbutt?!” Jack snapped as he rubbed his face with his sleeve; “It’s May 2019. Your wife-” he motioned with his free hand to Evie and grabbed Dean’s wrist as he passed; “-Is no doubt already pregnant!”

Evie’s stomach dropped and she felt her knees wobble as they turned to jelly beneath her. Plopping into a seat, she searched Sam’s face for comfort but could only find a confused expression whilst Castiel remained stoic watching the exchanges from a nearby column.

“What the fuck are you talkin’ about, shorty?” Dean snapped, frowning; “My wife ain't knocked up! Don’t know who gave you that info, kid, but you’re sadly mistaken. Everlyn, back me up on this!”

Pursing his lips, Sam glanced at his brother and stood up slowly before placing a large hand on Evie’s shoulder.

“Dean... “ he said softly, his hazel eyes darting to Diana as a small kernel of recognition began to form in his brain; “...I think this girl might be tellin’ the truth…”

“W-What?!” Dean turned to his wife for confirmation on just how utterly ridiculous the scenario was but as he did so, Evie looked at the floor with a deeply troubled expression, one hand reaching to rest upon her stomach. At that, he felt the colour swiftly drain from his face and all his bravado leave him.

“E-Everlyn?! Y-You’re _not_ …? Tell me these little brats are jokin’!”

After an excruciatingly long moment, Evie looked up, her eyes glassy through the veil of black hair. She nodded and held up a hand, showing three trembling fingers.

“It’s true. I’m three months gone.”

_“No…”_ the word left Dean in a winded breath and his hands flung behind his head as he stood fretting in the foyer, the blood rushing around his head as panic seized him; “N-No! It’s not happening! No, it’s all just a _joke!_ ”

Sam stepped forward and tried to grip Dean’s wrists in a bid to calm him but was swatted away.

“Dean… Dean, calm down.”the younger Winchester tried to reign in his brother’s growing panic attack but it was useless as Dean squirmed in his place, chewing on his bottom lip and growing close to all out hysteria as the seconds drew by.

“Cas!” Dean shouted; “Castiel, tell me straight! It’s not true. _Tell me it’s not true!_ ”

Shaking his head, Castiel pushed off the column and glanced at the two teenagers in his midst. His eyes lingered for a moment on Jack before falling upon Diana as he studied the worry in both their faces. With a deep sigh, the angel nodded once.

“I’m sorry, Dean, but it _is_ true. Everlyn is indeed with child. _Your_ child. The young girl who stands before us all.”

The words sent Dean over the edge.

Despite Sam grabbing for him in a bid to hold him still and stop him from freaking out any further, Dean’s superior strength won out and he broke free, stumbling over himself as he ran full tilt out of the hotel foyer and towards the parking lot. Through the windows, everyone else could only look on as the sound of loud tires screeching rattled the glass, smoke spewing from the Impala wheels as he burned rubber before pounding the gas and hauling ass for Canada.

Groaning, Castiel rubbed his temples as the makings of a headache began to form and he leaned against the sofa.

“That did not go well at all…”

Diana gulped and nodded.

“Yeah, no shit.” She glanced between her mother and Sam, bewildered; “You guys _seriously_ haven’t told him about me yet?”

“N-No… sorry, this is just _bizarre_.” said Sam, taking one of Evie’s hands in his and giving it a tight squeeze as she looked set to burst into tears following her husband’s wholly negative reaction to the news of his impending parenthood.

Still looking out towards the car park, Jack narrowed his eyes darkly.

“Someone should go after him. He could hurt himself or someone else if he drives whilst agitated-”

“I’m on it.”

There was a soft fluttering noise and as Jack turned, he could just catch Castiel enveloping himself in white divine light before disappearing, a single black feather left where he once stood. The Nephilim bent to pick it up and studied it in the light, frowning.

All the while, Sam studied his movements.

It was _eery_ how alike the scrutiny in Jack’s face echoed Castiel’s and as he comforted Evie with winding an arm around her shuddering shoulders, Sam got the sense that not was all that it seemed in terms of what the two mysterious teenagers spoke of. He shook the thought from his head and flapped his lips, standing up before pulling Evie to her feet.

At a loss at what to do, Sam did the only thing he could think of. Coughing awkwardly, he extended a shaking hand to Diana and forced a weak smile.

“Uhh.. h-hello, Potato.”

Diana arched an eyebrow and a short chuckle escaped her.

“ _Potato?_ Sam, what’re you…?”

He echoed her expression and glanced at Evie.

“We’ve only found out ourselves. Trust us, this is weird for everyone involved.”

“I’ll say. It’s like there’s a goddamn giraffe in the room, heh.” Despite her heart hammering inside her chest, Diana smiled warmly at her mother and uncle and Evie started, surprised at how the young woman looked so much like her husband- bright green eyes echoing her own, a galaxy of freckles across the bridge of Diana’s nose and the exact same dimples in her cheeks.

_Dean’s_ smile.

“Good to see you again, Ma.”

Evie almost choked, holding back tears of shock as her jaw fell slack. She once more caressed her stomach and averted her gaze only to feel a pair of strong but gentle arms envelope her.

A kind voice whispered in her left ear.

“Don’t mind Dad. I’ll be happy to kick his ass to Hell and back for you. Just say the words.”

“I-I….T-Thank you…”Evie whimpered, frozen in place as Diana embraced her tightly and rested her head in the crook of the older woman’s neck. It felt alien and overly familiar to Evie and though part of her was screaming to run away from pure alarm, another part of her felt overwhelmed at seeing this person- her daughter with Dean Winchester- hold her so warmly.

Hiccoughing, Evie somehow managed to find the will to move and despite her trepidation, she raised a trembling hand to Diana’s back, hesitant before slowly patting her shoulder blade.

Sam watched with wide eyes, utterly aghast and confused but calm enough to not exacerbate the situation. He nodded and glanced towards Jack, head tilting as he tried to figure him out. Feeling hazel eyes upon him, the younger man exhaled sharply and hitched his sweater up, folding his arms across his chest.

“I hate to rain on the family reunion. Believe me, it’s _fantastic_ seeing you both again.” Jack said in a somewhat tense tone; “But we need to get back to the Bunker pronto. Let Castiel handle Dean’s outburst. For now, we need to formulate a plan. We did come here for a _reason,_ y’know…”

Releasing her mother, Diana turned and inclined her head towards Jack, tucking her hands into her armpits and licking her bottom lip.

“I’m all ears, Jack.”

“Hold onto each other. I’ll teleport us back.”

Diana blinked before she reached forward in a bid to grab her friend’s sweater.

“Wait, no! Jack, hold on a minute-!”

But whatever words she uttered next were lost in a sudden burst of blinding golden light…

* * *

  


**A cheap motel off the Interstate, several hours later, Ohio 2019…**

 

As Castiel materialised in the dimly lit motel room, he sighed deeply and expertly ducked just as a heavy whiskey bottle sailed through the air and shattered against the wall behind him.

“Dean-”

“You _knew._ All this time, you fucking knew. _And you didn’t tell me_?!” Dean screamed out as he stood barefoot and shirtless by the bed, white hot fury causing the vein in his neck to bulge ominously.

The angel stood rooted to his spot by the door but his gaze was piercing, unwavering as he watched the younger man shake with anger. Dean’s knuckles whitened as he balled his hands into fists. He was primed for a fight, drunk on rage and cheap booze and no sooner had he crossed the room, Castiel blocked the first punch a mere inch from his nose.

“ _Goddamn you, Castiel..!_ ” Dean hissed through his teeth, grabbing the angel by his trench coat lapels and lifting him clean off his feet as he pinned him to the wall with every ounce of strength in him. A flicker of fear flashed in Castiel's eyes but he soon found his bearings and grabbed Dean by the neck in a choking hold.

“Don't start something you don't intend to finish, Dean!”

“ _Sonofa-!_ ”Dean growled, wriggling out of the choke hold and pressing into Castiel, crushing his chest against him. Grabbing the angel's wrists, he pinned his arms and stared straight into those steely blue eyes that he loved so much, eyes that usually looked at him with care and affection but now burned with quiet agitation.

There was only one thing Dean could do to prove himself, the only thing that mattered in the haze of alcohol and agitation clouding his senses. With little care for subtlety or gentleness, he pushed his mouth down on Castiel's in a bruising, commanding kiss that was as passionless as it was desperate. He could feel the angel struggle against him, Castiel responding by biting down hard on his bottom lip to the point that blood filled Dean's mouth.

He flinched, breaking the cinch just long enough to swipe his fingers over his lip. Castiel glared at him, looking wild and slightly deranged with specks of Dean's blood coloring his mouth.

“Cas...!”

“Don't you _dare_ kiss me unless you mean it!” Castiel yelled furiously, shoving Dean out of the way and making for the door, only to be stopped as Dean dragged him down and pinned him to the floor. He knew it was a fruitless task- Castiel could throw him through the wall with a single wave of angelic power but as he lay squirming beneath him, the angel didn't seem at all aware of that fact.

Dean couldn't help but smirk despite the pain in his stinging lip.

“Oh, I _mean it_ , Castiel. More than I've meant anything in my life!”He voice was low and menacing, green eyes glinting dangerously in the low light of the bare ceiling bulb.

Castiel stopped squirming long enough to meet his gaze. “Dean, I swear to Chuck-!”

“Funny, you have the power to nail me to the ceiling if you really wanted to and yet here you are, between my legs pretending I have the upper hand. What else are you hiding?”

Castiel glowered up at Dean, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and wrenching him down until their noses practically touched. “You are, without a shadow of a doubt, the most _infuriating_ man I've ever met.”

A cruel laugh escaped Dean and one hand moved to grab a fistful of the angel’s hair hard enough to hurt. Castiel grimaced but held his glare, eyes narrowing as Dean pulled him upright, straddling his thighs and pinning his torso down hard.

“You’re one to talk, you lying sack of shit. Go on, out with it then. Convince me to come back to the Bunker and pretend this whole mess isn’t happening. You’ve got five seconds.”

“ _Dean._ ”

The power rolled off Castiel in a single wave of blue light and Dean found himself thrown against the far wall. He yelled out, feeling the cheap wooden panels splinter against the bare skin of his back and he crumpled to the floor in a heap, feet crunching down on broken shards of glass. Momentarily winded, Dean inhaled a shaky breath and was all set to lunge for Castiel but the angel was much faster and bound Dean with grace, locking his limbs tightly until he could do nothing but hunch before the end of the bed, his face a vision of pure animalistic violence tinged red with exertion as he tried to struggle against the invisible restraints.

Slowly, Castiel removed his trench coat and folded it neatly over the back of a nearby chair before stepping behind his captive lover and placing his hands square in the middle of Dean’s back. The younger man grunted and tried to shuck him away but Castiel’s fingertips exerted just enough power to push Dean forward and as he found himself lying on his stomach on the bed, the mattress sagged under their combined weight.

“You need to calm down.” Castiel said in a low tone as he knelt by Dean’s side; “We are not leaving this room until we’ve talked things through like civilized people.”

_“Go fuck yourself, Cas!”_ Dean yelled as he squirmed against the bonds, hot tears of anger streaking down his cheeks as he turned roughly to glare at the angel. He sucked in a breath, holding back a sob as his shoulders began to tremble but instead of giving in, he clenched his jaw and flexed his fingers trying to get purchase.

“I know you’re angry, Dean. I know news of Everlyn’s pregnancy has come as quite a shock but you achieve nothing by running away from your responsibilities-”

“Oh, _you’re_ one to talk! You knew all this time and not _once_ did you care to mention the fact! You’re just as bad as fucking Chuck when it comes to omittin’ the finer details! _The fuck is wrong with you, Cas?!”_

“I was trying to protect Everlyn. Firstly, I needed to be sure it was not a mere fluke and secondly, when she found out of her own accord, her thoughts were filled with the terror of your reaction. It disappoints me to see that you are behaving _exactly_ as we both feared you would.” Castiel sat back on the bed and focused his gaze on Dean’s back, taking in the myriad of scrapes and minor scratches as his shoulders twitched.

Dean’s breathing was fast and heavy as he turned onto his back and scrunched his eyes shut. His body slackened just enough to let him settle on the bed but he still trembled with a mixture of agitation and ill-suppressed sobs. A hiccough escaped his lips and Castiel leaned forward to caress his jaw with his fingertips.

“C-Can you blame me?” Dean eked out after a tense few minutes, his chest rising unsteadily; “I-I can’t do this. I can’t be someone’s _father-!_ ”

“Talk to me, Dean. Don’t hold back. I only know the fragments of your upbringing but you _can_ talk to me. _Please.”_

“Let me go. _I have to go-!_ ” Dean tried to sit upright but the grace bonds were too strong.

“If you run from this, Everlyn will _never_ forgive you.” Castiel leaned down until his lips were against Dean’s right ear; “...And I will follow you to the ends of the Earth, through Hell and back to see that you never find peace in this life or the next.” The words were quiet and calm but there was no hiding the threat and Dean stopped struggling, his eyes wide as he studied the angel before him.

“.... _H-Help me_.” he whimpered, the floodgates opening at last to give way to anguished sobbing as he threw his head back against the mattress and shut his eyes against the sting of tears. Lips thinning at the sight of Dean quivering beneath him, Castiel released the invisible bonds and rested back on his haunches, watching as the younger man wept openly.

Castiel didn’t speak for what felt like hours, just staying with Dean until he had no more tears left to cry. When he finally stilled and took to staring listlessly up at the cracks in the ceiling, the angel stood up and kicked off his shoes.

Unbuttoning his shirt, he began to undress until he was down to a pair of simple blue boxers before he climbed onto the bed and lay at Dean’s side.

“Exactly what are you afraid of, Dean?” Castiel asked as he pulled the blankets up towards the stricken hunter’s chest. Sniffled slightly, Dean turned and blinked, his eyes sore and bloodshot as he met the angel’s gaze.

_“E-Everything,_ Cas…”

He inhaled deeply and swept a hand through his hair before shaking his head fretfully.

“I’ll fuck it up like I almost did with Ben and Lisa. I...this life... _hunting_ ?! It-it’s not family-friendly. No matter what I do, the monsters won’t sleep and I...I can’t protect everyone. Bringin’ a kid into the mix? Castiel, it’s _reckless, stupid and fucking insane-!_ ” Dean pushed the heels of his palms into his eyes and groaned; “I _knew_ I should’ve gotten that vasectomy!”

A soft chuckle escaped Castiel and he shuffled closer, sweeping a hand down Dean’s arm to gently clasp his hand.

“No-one is ever fully prepared for parenthood, Dean. Even with all the planning in the world, these things fall into the hands of fate and are rarely predictable.” He gave Dean a reassuring squeeze; “Rest assured, you are certainly not alone in this situation. You have myself and of course Sam will be on hand to help out. It will be an adjustment but as history has proven time after time, you Winchesters are nothing if not adaptable.”

Turning towards Castiel, Dean curled up into a ball and rested his head on the angel’s chest.

“B-But what if I-”

“Don’t waste time on _‘what ifs’_ , Dean. Focus on the now. We should go home, face things head on.”

“You’re right b-but...Cas, I can’t. Not right now. I-I need time to adjust.” The last of the fight had left Dean at last and he just sounded defeated as he slung an arm over Castiel’s chest, desperate for comfort. Sighing, Castiel nodded slowly and glanced around the motel room, frowning.

“Not exactly the Cleavland Hilton…”

“S-Shut up…” a shaky laugh came from Dean; “I damn nearly hauled ass to Canada!”

“Heh. I can assure you, you have little to worry about. It is early days but your daughter is strong. I can feel it, even from here.”

“R-Really?”

“Mmm…” Castiel rubbed Dean’s shoulders and rested his chin atop his head; “And if you must know, that young blonde woman we encountered earlier? She’s telling the truth, Dean.”

At that, Dean pulled back and stared at Castiel, deep furrows appearing on his forehead as he propped himself on his elbows.

“Wait, you mean…?!”

“I don’t know how or why she came here but at approximately 5am this morning, I felt possibly the strongest temporal shift amongst the cosmos since Everlyn came into our lives. I don’t have all the answers right now, Dean, but all talks of your child aside, there something else that concerns me…”

“Cas…?”

The angel tucked his free arm behind his head and pursed his lips.

“The boy she was with… he is not fully human. I can’t quite place it but he seems to possess immense power beyond anything I’ve felt before.”

Dean grimaced and tucked his chin on a pillow as his body ached with fatigue.

“What are we dealing with, Cas?”

Castiel’s gaze was intense but troubled.

“I think... _we might be dealing with a Nephilim…”_

 

* * *

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N** : Got some _FIERCE_ creative juice flow this week and whilst I was eager to progress with this chapter and turn it into a 25 pager, I held back because one, I have no self-control and two, don't wanna jinx things. Also, 11 pages is a nice number, methinks. Anyways, some nice scenes between Sam, Evie and the new arrivals so please enjoy and if you liked the cut of my jib, feel free to comment, kudos, bookmark and download at your leisure!
> 
>  **PLEASE NOTE:** There are some heavy plot themes in this chapter, particularly referring to elements of **NON/CON and RAPE/SEXUAL ASSAULT/HARASSMENT** between Kelly Kline and President Rooney/Lucifer so I'm putting a warning here and have amended the tags to reflect this as I know it's a sensitive subject and may trigger some readers. Be well, folks.
> 
> -Chubbs

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

 

**A reasonably priced hotel somewhere outside Washington DC, 2019…**

 

Hiccuping slightly as a Cheeto went against her breath, Kelly Kline wiped the orange dust from her hands on a corner of the bedsheet and wiggled into a more comfortable position against the mass of pillows at her back. Flapping her lips, she glanced around the hotel room.

 _So much for nesting…._ She thought to herself with a frown as her blue eyes took in the various discarded candy wrappers, soda cans and potato chip bags littering every available surface. Glancing down at the large curve of her bump straining against the tight fabric of her blouse, she shook her head and gently patted it.

“Are you _ever_ going to let me eat a vegetable?” she asked aloud, the unborn child inside her womb giving a light kick in response. Kelly chuckled and reached for the TV remote switching on the flatscreen at the end of the bed.

As the TV spritzed to life, her smile dropped into a thin, hard line as the channel tuned into FOX NEWS. Clear as the nose on her face, the very man who had put her in her current predicament stood before a sea of microphones, an unbearably smug grin plastered on his face as cameras flashed all around.

President Rooney was sprouting off once again about some recent Twitter comments but Kelly couldn’t focus on his words, her mind uneasy as she looked upon the face of the Commander-in-Chief.

Stomach churning, a montage of dark imagery swirled through her head as she recalled the events leading to her eventual escape to this current bolthole- the weeks of sleazy comments and predatory glances as she passed through halls of the White House which soon grew to not-at-all-subtle touches and gropes whenever she dared to let her guard down.

Rooney knew _exactly_ what he was doing and reveled in the power of his stature as he harassed her. Vomit threatened to rise up her throat as Kelly’s thoughts turned to the traumatic night six months ago that resulted in her pregnancy. Mercifully, it was over quickly but as Rooney left her bloodied and broken on the floor of an empty boardroom, Kelly knew even then she couldn’t stay silent.

She trembled softly as she watched the yellow bulletin ticker flash across the bottom of the screen, a constant reminder of the headlines that had plagued her for months:

_Sexual Harassment Scandal Rocks White House._

_Kelly Kline Pregnancy Mystery Confirmed In ‘Hollywood Insider’._

The speculation alone was hard to swallow but to feel the truth literally kick her in the stomach was sometimes worse.

_Don’t think about it, Kells...you’ve suffered enough…_

Raking a hand through her hair, she started when she felt a lump tangled in the light brown locks. Quickly moving to unknot the strands, she stared at her hand and found a half-eaten Cheeto. Despite her rising anxiety, she laughed and rolled her eyes before flicking the channel to the pay-per-view menu and swinging her bare legs over the edge of the bed. With a grunt, she hauled herself upright and waddled towards the little table in the corner where she’d dumped her suitcase three days before.

“C’mon, Peanut. Help me out here. Something is clearly rotten in the state of the nation and we need backup…”she said as she rummaged through the black luggage before pulling out a well-worn laptop.

Settling into a chair as she powered it up, Chrome pulled up the last visited tabs and she swept a finger across her lips in thought as she peered at the images before her: A series of archived maps of America with complex runic symbols in several key locations, articles on helpful organizations and Women’s Refuges in the locality and a looping traffic camera video.

“What do you think? Kick once for yes, twice for no. Should we reach out?” Kelly cupped her bump as she zoomed in on the camera feed. At the two hour timestamp, a distinctive car pulled up to the lights and idled at the corner of a bakery: a sleek black Chevy Impala with Kansas plates.

_“Ooff…!”_

One solid kick to the bladder.

“Heh, that’s a yes then? Okay, kiddo. Hold onto that umbilical cord. We’re goin’ on an jet plane!”

As her child began to kick in earnest, Kelly inhaled sharply and entered the address for United Airlines.

 

_We can but hope…_

  


**Back in The Bunker….**

 

Leaning against the door to the bedroom he usually shared with his brother and Evie, Sam sighed heavily and closed his eyes as he listened for signs of life. It was close to midnight at this point and following the abrupt jump back home, Evie had wasted no time in barricading herself inside with the door locked.

For a while, any attempts at trying to talk to her were met with strings of incoherent sobs and the odd scream before it gave way to outright rage and she openly cursed the day she had ever met Dean Henry Winchester. At one point, a loud bang almost compelled Sam to break the door down out of fright but when she finally opened the door, he found that Evie had hurled a heavy lamp at the wall and it now lay in a pile of ceramic shards.

“Everlyn…” Sam tried to keep his voice low and calm but the sight of her hunched on the bed was enough to draw a lump to his throat.

She sat with her knees drawn to her chest, one of his enormous shirts swathing her petite frame as she quietly shuddered no more tears left to cry as her breathing was labored with exertion.

Stepping over the broken lamp, Sam crawled onto the bed and enveloped her, running his hands down her back.

“T-That...that _bastard-_!” Evie choked out, her voice raspy and dry as she clung to him and buried her face in his chest.

Sam nodded and cupped her face kissing her gently in a bid to offer some form of comfort but inside, he was just as angry as her. They had heard nothing from Castiel in the interim and Dean had his phone firmly switched off. The longer they went without any signs that his brother was even coming back at all, the more agitated Sam felt but for the sake of Everlyn and the baby, he held back.

“Wait ‘til I get my hands on him.” Sam growled darkly as he pressed his forehead to hers; “Gonna give him the full John Wick treatment-!”

A snort came from the doorway.

“Trust me Sam, you can form an orderly queue. I’ve seen Dad freak out plenty o’ times but that was _completely_ uncalled for…”

Looking up, Evie watched as Diana edged into the room carrying a large mug of steaming tea. Standing at the end of the bed, she handed it to her mother and sighed, sweeping a hand through her fringe.

“I’m sorry. Clearly me being here is just a recipe for disaster... I didn’t exactly bank on runnin’ into either of you on this mission. Was hopin’ to go in all stealthy, y’know? Oh well, best laid plans…”the teenager averted her gaze and absently swung her arms, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

Raising the mug to her lips Evie blew on it before taking a cautious sip, her green eyes never leaving Diana. As the hot beverage soothed her scratchy throat, she arched an eyebrow. Loads of sugar, virtually no milk and probably two tea bags- _exactly_ how she liked it.

“Uhm…” Evie was at a loss. What could she say to Diana that wouldn’t sound completely ridiculous?

Sensing his partner’s unease, Sam smiled weakly and patted the mattress.

“Come sit down. You can stay if you like.”

Diana let out a weak chuckle and looked shyly at her uncle.

“I...I’d like that.” She took two steps forward before sitting cross legged on the edge of the bed and studying the two adults before her.

Evie coughed roughly and saluted with her mug.

“You...uh...make a lovely cuppa…”

“Heh, well I learned from the best. I’m more of a coffee gal but as you always used to say, a good cup of tea can cure what ails ya.”

Sam glanced between the two women. A moment of awkward silence passed before he shook his head and laughed in spite of the tension in the air.

“Okay, look. This is a _really_ strange situation for all of us so I’ll try and get the ball rollin’. Things were pretty crazy back at the hotel… why not start with a proper introduction?”

Diana nodded and smiled.

“Okay, I can totally do that. Ask me anything. I’m pretty much an open book.”

“Uhh... maybe start from the beginnin’ or something?” Evie simpered as she took another mouthful of tea.

Scratching at her temple, Diana shrugged as she considered her words for a moment.

“Right… well, my name’s Diana Charlotte Winchester. I’m a Scorpio, I like classic rock and make _way_ too many bad decisions than would be considered healthy…!” a wide grin stretched across her face and Sam arched an eyebrow.

 _Cancel the paternity test…_ he thought as he suppressed the urge to laugh.

Licking her bottom lip in a way that made Evie briefly think of her husband’s own habit, Diana continued and drummed her fingers on her knees.

“What else…? Hmm, well, I’m a Kansas girl through an’ through, my favorite color is purple and I’m fond of cherry Pop Tarts on the rare times I can get’ em…I’m also a first-time member of the Back From The Dead Club and have _absolutely no_ desire to repeat the subscription. ”

At that last admission, Evie almost split tea down her front but steadied herself. Setting the mug down on the nightstand, she scooted forward and stared wide-eyed at her daughter. Their gazes met and Evie could see that behind the cheery demeanor, there were hidden depths of pain in Diana’s evergreen eyes.

“Botched operation.” Diana replied to her mother’s unspoken question, her smile slipping as she reached to give the older woman a reassuring pat of the shoulder.

“It’s a long story. A painful one to tell, really, but the ‘too long, didn’t read’ version is I got into a hellish situation during an escort mission, got injured and crashed on the operatin’ table. Thank fuck Cas got to me in time or…” she trailed off and bowed her head, hands dropping to rest on her abdomen as her lips paled into a thin line.

Watching his niece suck in a deep breath and fix her face once more into a broad grin, Sam couldn’t help but frown. She clearly had more in common with Dean than she let on but his gut instinct told him not to pry any further, the night already fraught with heightened emotions. Instead, he cleared his throat and glanced out of the open door.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Diana-”

“Hey, you can call me Dee if you want. Everyone does.”

Sam smiled.

“Alright then...s-so, I have to ask. Who’s that Jack guy you’re with?”

Evie nodded and chuckled nervously.

“Yeah, I’m-I’m not havin’ _twins_ , am I?”

Diana wrinkled her nose and scoffed.

“Hah! No! I’m technically an only child but Jack? Well, that’s another long-ass story. I know I’m bein’ vague, I’m sorry ‘bout that but I know it’s getting late an’ Ma, you need to sleep-”

Straightening up, Evie brushed her hair from her face and shook her head.

“It’s fine, Diana. You’re right but I’m too uptight to sleep for now. C’mon an' talk to us. You...you’re actually pretty good at taking my thoughts away from your _utter fuckwi_ _t_ of a father…”

Rolling her eyes, Diana laughed.

“By all means, Ma, tell us how you _really_ feel! But yeah, I get you. Trust me, whenever Dad rolls home, I’ll have words and possibly a fistfight with him. You have my word.”

“Uhh..thank you. Means a lot.”

At that, Diana leaned back and sprawled out on the end of the bed, glancing sidelong at Evie and Sam. This felt so much like the old days when times were not so fraught, like so many quiet nights in the Bunker just relaxing with good company and the occassional hot beverage. It reminded her of the few times she felt truly safe in the bombed out husk of her own time and as the thoughts swirled in her head, Diana could feel her chest begin to constrict.

Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing and folded her arms behind her head.

“Sooo… Jack... Jack… well, in a lot of ways, he’s the closest thing I have to a brother.”Diana said after a few moments of silence. “He’s three months older than me and I’ve known him quite literally since the day I was born. He’s my best friend and...and all I have left, really.”

“How did he come into your life, if you don’t mind me asking?” Sam queried. Diana could hear the concern in his voice, subtle though it was and she cracked one eye open at him, barely containing a yawn as she prepared to sprout the cover story she and Jack had concocted during preparations for the time-jump.

“Gabriel. He one-night-standed a porn star and forgot to wear a condom.”

 _“Seriously?!”_ Sam gasped, slack jawed; “I know he can pretty reckless at times but... _damn_!”

“Wow. Way to go, Gabriel…!” Evie murmured, blinking in bewilderment.

Diana turned on her side and sat up, her expression turning serious.

“Yeah… Gabe’s not in Jack’s life. I honestly don’t even know if the jackass even _knows_ he has a son but...well, since Jack’s clearly not human, you might notice he does things a lil’ differently. Nothing too crazy but…” she felt herself begin to stutter but powered on, not wanting to waiver in the deception.

“...He _is_ a Nephilim and there’s certain aspects of Jack’s powers he hasn’t quite gotten the hang of. I mean, Cas tried his best to teach him but...cut him some slack, okay? He’s a total sweetheart once you get to know him, though.”

Diana heard a collective intake of breath from the adults in the room.

Clearly, it was a lot to process for them and she quietly wondered if she did the right thing in saying what she said but before she had a chance to stumble, Evie’s words offered a clear distraction.

“What...what about his mother?”

Thumbing her nose, Diana shrugged.

“I can’t remember her name but what I was told, she just turned up at the Bunker out of the blue one night in September, went into labor and despite Castiel’s best efforts, she died in childbirth. Side effect of Nephilim pregnancies, apparently. Terrible stuff. Since he’s technically his uncle, Cas decided to take Jack in an’ raise him as his own. About three months later, I arrived and life got a lil’ crazy!”

“Fuck...” Evie slumped against the pillows at her back and glanced at Sam, her expression mollified. “ _Two babies_?! I didn’t sign up for this!”

Sam shook his head.

“What the hell is happening..?!”

A low giggle escaped Diana and she gently swatted his arm.

“Oh, shush, Moose. You’ll be fine. It’s a surprise, sure, but with Ma, you, Dad and Cas? We never wanted for anything in terms of love and support. Don’t overthink it. You’ll figure it out.”

Just then, there was a soft cough nearby and glancing over her shoulder, Diana caught the eye of Jack as he poked his head into the room.

“Hello.” he said politely, standing in the door frame and shuffling his feet. “I think I found a lead, Dee.”

“I’m all ears, babe. What’ve we got?” Diana asked as she sat up.

“President Rooney’s currently away at a press junket but I just saw on the TV he’s due back in DC at the weekend. I’m a lil’ burnt out on grace right now but give me a few days to recover and-”

“No, no more teleportin’! I’m queasy enough just thinkin’ about it!” Diana snapped, getting up to cross the room. Just as she reached the smashed lamp, however, a thought suddenly struck her and her wide-eyed expression gave Jack cause for concern.

“Dee…?”

“I...This is a totally random idea but hear me out!” She turned towards Sam and Evie and clasped her hands together, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“Howabout… family road trip? How far are we from DC again?”

“Twenty hour drive, you know that.” Jack stated darkly, his brow furrowing; “Diana, are you sure that's a good idea-?”

“Oh, c’mon, Jack! It’s perfect! Think about it! If we can drag Dad’s ass back here and lock him in the Impala, he’ll have no choice but to address the pregnant elephant in the room-”

“Oi! You callin’ me _fat_?!” Evie snapped from the bed, causing Sam to chuckle weakly.

“Poor choice of words, I think. She does make a good argument though, Everlyn. Get Dean where he can’t run and keep an eye on him. Besides...might be a good way to get to know the kids too…” he said thoughtfully.

“Fuck yeah! Sammy, you on board?!” Diana squealed in delight, fist-pumping the air; “Ma, you up for it?”

“Why do I feel I might live to regret this?”

Jack cleared his throat loudly. “Diana, you are getting ahead of yourself. We’ve barely been here a day. _Calm down_. I know you’re ecstatic about seeing everyone again but you need to be realistic. Dean is _not_ in a good place right now. Somehow, I don’t think he’ll take kindly to being strong-armed…”

“Jack does have a point.” Evie sighed, folding her arms across her chest; “It’s a great idea on paper, Diana but...well, I don’t even know where he and Cas are right now. I’m starting to get worried.”

“They’ll turn up.” Jack replied, leaning on the door frame; “Just give them time.”

“Mmhmm. And then when Dad shows up with his tail between his legs, we jump him, hogtie him and throw him in the trunk!”

Jack gave the blonde a withering look and Evie couldn’t help the wheeze of laughter escape her nose at the sight. Diana wore a patented bitch-face that would’ve made Sam proud and she stood with her hands on her hips trying to look authoritative but with her short stature and bow-legs, she didn’t exactly succeed.

“Can we at least sleep on it?” Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s getting late and no doubt Sam and Evie need their rest. C’mon. Leave them be. It’s been an eventful day for everyone.”

Diana dropped the annoyed expression and nodded, glancing over her shoulder.

“Yeah, no shit. Still, for what it’s worth, it’s been awesome seein’ you guys. Seriously, _just awesome._ ” She made a move to step towards the bed intending to hug both Sam and her mother but thought better of it, not wishing to go overkill on the family reunion.

Instead, she over-corrected herself, cleared her throat and brushed some crud from her threadbare t-shirt.  “I’ll..er..be right down the hall if y’all need me. Hope you get some sleep, Ma. You too, Sam. G’night.”

“Goodnight, Diana. It was lovely meeting you.” Evie said sincerely as she watched her daughter head into the hall; “You too, Jack. Welcome to the family.”

Jack inclined his head and reached for the handle of the door.

“Thank you. I promise we’ll try not to be too annoying-”

“Now, is that a dare or a _double_ dare?” Diana quipped and Jack let out a sigh.

“See what I have to live with?”

“Oh, shut up, bitch. You love me!”

Sam chuckled at that and gave a small wave.

“See you guys in the morning. Sleep well.”

The door shut with a low click and as the teens’ footsteps retreated down the hall, he and Evie sat on the bed in the ensuing silence processing everything they’d just heard. The only sound in the room came from their breathing and the slow steady ticking of the alarm clock on the nightstand that counted down the minutes towards 1am.

Feeling a strong hand entwine their fingers, Evie started as Sam nestled against her and moved to kiss her knuckles. He settled down on his side and rested his head on her stomach before winding his arms tightly around her and holding her close.

“So…”Sam said quietly as he nuzzled his face against her; “...That’s my niece…”

“Yeah...y-yeah… nice to see she’s actually a decent human being…” Evie mused as she took to trailing her fingers through Sam’s hair.

“Well, duh. She’s _your_ daughter! I honestly don’t know why we were so worried, Everlyn. I have a pretty good feeling and my guts’ never been wrong so far.”

“Mmmm.”

“You okay?”

Evie flapped her lips and moved down the bed until she was spooning against Sam’s chest. She clung to his arm as it wound around her waist and tried to get comfortable beneath the sheets.

“I’m still a lil’ shocked, Sam, but it’s better than it was. Talk to me in the morning.”

“I love you.”Sam brushed his lips against her nape and she shivered as his stubble grazed her skin.

“Love you too, Sam. I...I hope Dean’s okay.” Evie mumbled sheepishly. “I still want to kill him, sure, but...”

“Castiel’s with him. Listen to the kids. He’s not the only one who got smacked in the face with a bombshell today.”

“I know...I know.”

Sam turned her gently in his arms. Kissing her deeply, he traced the outline of her cheekbones with his thumbs and smiled.

“It’ll be fine. I promise.”

“How can you be so sure?”

 

_“I have faith.”_

 

* * *

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana has a turbulent dream, Dean returns with his tail between his legs and Sam makes banana pancakes whilst trying to avoid the time-travelling elephants in the room...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N** : Hey, folks. Been a while. Sorry about that. A lot of personal and health-related shit went down over the Christmas period but I'm mostly getting through it and writing defintitely helps. This was a tricky chapter to write as it has flashbacks in it and I toyed with the notion of just doing it straight. Took a while to figure out but I'm happy with it. Hope this makes up for the long-ass delay.
> 
> Enjoy!

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

_ Fort Collins Airbase. _

_ Just getting to the deserted, isolated airstrip had been a toil for Sam and Diana as they navigated the worn-out tires of the Impala through the backroads of Kansas, all hackles raised to the lingering threat of sniper fire despite the so-called reassurance of a two vehicle Army escort. Outside of Lebanon, they were sitting ducks for all kinds of chaos and disarray with bandits, demonic hordes and other nasties waiting to disrupt the convoy. _

_ Fortunately, the arrival of the latest precious food and medical shipment had gone without a hitch and the transfer from the cargo hold of the government jet to the half dozen Land Rovers dotted around the air strip was a smooth transition. _

_ Sam pulled the tired old Impala into the makeshift lot and shut off the engine.  _

_ “Let’s not linger here, Dee. I want to get home before dusk.” _

_ Nodding, Diana glanced out through the windscreen watching the soldiers load up supplies and resources. The nearest green Land Rover flashed its’ headlamps and Diana grimaced as the lights blinded her momentarily as the driver hopped out and waved to Sam. _

_ “Howdy folks! Thanks for shorin’ up the convoy.” An English accented voice came near Sam’s window; “We’re almost ready to roll out. First stop is Sioux Fall General- they’re just screamin’ out for medicine so we best get moving.” _

_ “Sure thing, Lieutenant Teagan. How’re the roads today?”Sam stepped out of the Impala, leaning against the bonnet to speak to the burly soldier. Meanwhile, Diana rubbed at her eyes and glanced around at the bustle of Army folks securing ropes to the supplies and refueling the jet. _

_ “Same as always, Mr. Winchester. Unpredictable... but we appreciate any help you can throw our way.” Lt Teagan nodded a polite courtesy and glanced beyond Sam, smiling at Diana as she pulled herself from the passenger seat. _

_ “Ahh, good afternoon, Diana.” _

_ “Simon! Always good to see ya!” Diana gave him a high five and a buck toothed smile. _

_ “Got a special job for you.” Simon said brightly, reaching up into the cab of the Land Rover and pulling down a large box wrapped in polka dotted cloth. “Managed to salvage a box of teddy bears for the children. Can you head down to the Paediatric Ward and hand them out? The kids tend to get scared of us big ol’ Army folks…” _

_ “No problemo, Simon!” Diana grinned at him and held the box tightly to her chest; “...I’ll guard them with my life!” _

Diana’s hands tensed in the bedsheets, sweat dripping from her brow as the memory shifted through several hours of well worn footage. Gone was the pleasant interaction of the air field, of the delectable Simon Teagan and of a seemingly straightforward escort mission replaced by a hospital under siege, gunfire and people screaming signalling that the shit had officially hit the fan.

_ “Sam! Saaam!” Diana screamed for her uncle as she ran through ward after ward. She had last seen him take out a demonic raider on the first floor...or was it the second? Lost in the chaos of the unholy firestorm, she had lost her bearings and found her feet skidding to a halt down a dead-end corridor. _

_ The harsh fluorescent lights flickered and died, replaced by the sinister red of the emergency generator ominous red illumination. All noise fell away, the gunfire dampened by the sound of the blood rushing through her head as she turned wildly in desperation to find the exit. _

_ Then….a hellish snarl…. _

The room was dimly lit with a soft orange glow as Diana started awake from a turbulent dream.

Wincing as her eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the lack of darkness, she tried to sit up but found herself weighed down by something. It was then, as the reality of the last few hours came rushing back, that she realized Jack was resting his head on her chest, curled up tightly against her side with one arm around her waist as though fearful she might wake up screaming like so many traumatic nights before.

“J-Jack…?” Diana whispered, moving to run her fingers through his bedraggled mop of auburn hair. He murmured softly in his sleep but didn’t move an inch.

Frowning, Diana lay back on the soft mattress and stared up at the shadows on the ceiling.  _ Was it always that pristine? No cracks or peeling paint, no water damage? What…? _

Despite the heavy young man currently using her bosom for a pillow, she managed to sit upright, Jack grumbling incoherently as he finally shifted away. Now free to adjust the dimmer switch on the bedside lamp, the furrows in Diana’s brows deepened as the bedroom pulled into sharp focus.

It was  _ their _ room...but it wasn’t.

The once familiar comforting look of the ancient, cracked green walls was now fresh and new, no threadbare carpet, the furniture looking as though it had been artfully arranged for an IKEA catalogue spread. The remnants of the dream fluttered through Diana’s mind and she gave Jack a none-too-gentle shove.

“Jack… babe, wake up.”

At this, Jack’s eyes snapped open and his head shot up, suddenly wide awake and alert.

“Dee, what-what is it?”

“This room...what…  _ Did we jump through time _ ?”

“That... wasn’t a dream, Diana. It actually happened.”

_ “Seriously?!” _

Jack sat upright and placed a hand on her shoulder, his expression calm but worried.

“It’s alright. We’re safe. For  _ now _ , anyways…”

“I… Jack…” Diana’s voice was low and fearful as she wrapped the blankets around her shoulders as though fearing their surroundings would fall away in the blink of an eye; “This means….this means they’re _ alive _ …!”

“Are you going to be okay?” Jack asked, his hand sweeping down her arm in a comforting stroke before he held her hand loosely, thumb gently caressing her knuckles.

“I need a minute…” Diana bowed her head, overwhelmed at the gravity of the situation. Jack nodded and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, moving to stand. Glancing at the nightstand, the time on the alarm clock read 5AM, their usual wake-up but this morning felt so different from the ones before.

Sure as he expected, there was a knock on the door at precisely 5:05AM before it opened carefully, Sam poking his head into the room.

“Uhh, hey…” Sam said in a low voice; “Thought you guys might be early risers… sleep okay?”

Diana bit her lip, not trusting herself to speak as Sam stepped over the threshold. He looked like the Sam she knew from countless early mornings when he’d wake her up for their regularly scheduled hour of yoga before breakfast. She studied his face: younger than she remembered and a lot more clean shaven than she was used to but still comforting in his familiarity.

He was still wearing the grey sweats from yesterday and Diana swallowed back a lump in her throat- he must’ve been up all night trying to make sense of her, Jack and this whole sorry mess. A small nudge in the ribs from Jack caused Diana to jump, suddenly realizing she’d been staring intently at her uncle for an uncomfortably long minute.

“Uhhh, are you-are you doin’ the yoga thing now, Sammy?” Diana fumbled over her words, green eyes wide and simultaneously alarmed and hopeful. The older man chuckled softly and ran a hand through his hair.

“Heh, you’ll probably want breakfast first, right? Let me guess…” Sam flashed her a knowing grin; “...Bacon, bacon and more bacon with a side of strong coffee?”

At this, Diana couldn’t help but snort.

“Hey, I may be Dean Winchester’s daughter but I  _ do _ eat the occasional vegetable!”

“Diana...she doesn’t actually  _ like  _ bacon…” Jack piped up, arching an eyebrow as he watched the tension disappear from Diana’s shoulders. Folding his arms and leaning against the doorframe, Sam shook his head.

“Really? That’s probably a good thing, I guess. Full of greasy nitrates…”

“Y-Yeah… it’s the  _ nitrates _ that’ll get you…” Diana murmured, her fingers tensing in the sheets as she struggled to suppress an unpleasant memory. Luckily, Jack could hear the film reel warming up in her head and he cleared his throat loudly.

“Coffee sounds good, Sam. We’ll be out in a moment.”

“No problem, take your time.” said Sam; “Banana pancakes all around?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Jack cast Sam a slight smile and nodded, watching as the older man turned and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

 

Exhaling deeply, Diana swept her hands through her hair and chuckled incredulously. It seemed fortune favored the bold and that her dearest dream was now reality: one more day with Sam, one more hearty breakfast made with love, one more day filled with hope, one more chance…

Jack studied her face in the light.

Diana was trying so hard to hold back her exuberance, too afraid of the bubble bursting to let her happy laugh flow free. He smiled softly, moving to squeeze her left shoulder. Before he could utter a word, she turned and flung her arms around him, hugging him hard enough to push all the oxygen out of his lungs.

“I’m dreaming… This is too surreal! Jack, tell me straight- I died on that operating table, right?”

“It’s okay, Dee. You’re not dead yet!” He choked out a chuckle and Diana finally squealed in delight, releasing him to spring out of bed and race to the bedroom door. Opening it just a fraction, she appeared like a child waiting with baited breath for a glimpse of Santa at Christmas, her eyes wide and hopeful.

“We’re home, Jack!”

He shook his head and sighed.

“Remember, it’s only a _ version _ of home...stay focused-”

“Dude, it’s Uncle Sam’s pancakes! Don’t ruin this for me!”

Jack groaned and rolled his eyes but before he could say another word, Diana had exited the room and disappeared down the hall towards the kitchen. Dressing in his threadbare sweater and jeans, the young Nephilim took his time in joining his companion at the table, watching as Sam whisked together mashed bananas and egg.

It was impossible for Sam to ignore the time travelling elephants in the room but he decided to wait until after he fed the newcomers before he had  _ that _ conversation.

Sure enough, as he spooned the pancake batter into the pan, a nauseated Evie walked into the kitchen and wasted no time in making herself a bracing cup of ginger tea. From over the rim of her mug, she stared at the two teenagers in her midst, fingers tensed and expression wary.

Diana couldn’t help but stare as she spoke first in a quiet tone.

“Y-You okay, Ma?”

“I...Well, no. Threw up twice. Umm… how long does the morning sickness last?” Evie replied, scratching the back of her head awkwardly as she tried to comprehend exactly who she was talking to.

“About another month, I’d guess…”Diana replied, clearing her throat as she glanced at Sam cooking up pancakes on the stove.

So far, so _normal._

It didn’t feel real yet Diana didn’t doubt her own two eyes. Her breath hitched in her throat and she held back the urge to let a small sob of relief escape her as she watched her mother sit down opposite. The younger woman studied Evie, taking in the thin fingers clutching a mug shaped like an Infinity Gauntlet, one hand missing three nails- the mark of torture by Lucifer himself.

Without thinking, Diana reached out and placed her own hand over Evie’s. Warm and comforting.

“I know this all strange but...but I’d rather not wake up if it turns out I’m dreamin’.”Diana said as she cast her mother a warm smile.

Evie chuckled softly and pushed an errant lock of hair from her face.

“You must really miss me, kiddo. What happened to all of us back in your world?”

Jack shook his head and his face grew solemn.

“Not a good subject for the breakfast table, Evie...”

Evie’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly but before she could comment any further, Sam placed a gigantic stack of pancakes in front of the two teenagers, his expression one of understanding as he regarded his niece with the tired air of someone who had also been through the thick of it.

As Diana gleefully attacked her pancakes grateful for the distraction from yet another bad memory, Jack poked at a blueberry and glanced towards the archway into the hall.

“Have you heard from Dean and Castiel at all?”

Evie glowered at her pancakes.

“Who the fuck _cares?!_ Let Castiel deal with him….I’m one hundred percent done with the  _ louse  _ I married!” 

Diana shook her head.

“Want me to kick Dad’s ass? I’m had plenty of practice over the years, heh!”

“You’re from the future, Diana…. Tell me, how does this morning work out?” Evie snapped as she blanched against a mouthful of ginger tea. Chuckling at her mother’s grumpy morning nature, Diana was about to reply when she heard the unmistakable sound of the Bunker’s garage doors slowly shutting.

Diana licked creme fraiche off her lips and sighed.

“Oh boy. Jack, prepare for DEFCON 1.”

Sam turned off the stove and stood by the kitchen counter, arms folded and a deep frown upon his features as he heard slow footsteps approach. Sure enough, a tired-looking Castiel appeared first holding a gigantic glass vase filled with a soon-to-bloom orchid, his expression tense.

“Took you long enough!” Evie snapped, glaring at the angel.

“Go easy on him, Everlyn. He’s had quite a shock but it’s been almost twenty four hours. Dean has had time to reflect-”

“Where’s he hidin’? If he thinks a poxy gift of flowers and chocolate can make up for running off on me, he’d got another thing coming!” Evie rose sharply from the kitchen table and scraped her chair off the floor but Jack stepped in front of her.

“Evie… maybe you should calm down and wait for a while. I get the feeling you’ve been ruminating on this all night. Did you get any sleep  _ at all _ ?”

The brunette arched an eyebrow and gave Jack the once over. Deducing that he wasn’t much of a threat, she shoved right past him and into the hall. Instinctively, her bare feet took her to the master bedroom at the end of the dormitories. She pushed the door open hard and found Dean sitting cross legged on the bed, his head bowed in shame.

“You can’t fix this with empty gestures, Dean-!”Evie started but any fight she had in her was curtailed by a wave of nausea that almost made her yak on the floor. Instead, she retched and coughed as she swallowed back the vomit, determined to give her husband whatfor.

Dean shook his head and held up something to the light.

Evie stood her ground, gripping the door frame for stability.

“The only baby picture I have of Sam....found it in my dad’s old journal…” Dean said softly, looking up at her. His eyes were bleary and bloodshot and he had a full day and a half’s worth of stubble upon his jaw, his expression one of a man who had quietly accepted his fate.

“Don’t you  _ dare _ try to guilt trip me-!” Evie growled but once again, the nausea built up in the back of her throat. This time, she could barely hold it back and quickly dived for the waste basket. Concerned, Dean got up and guided her towards the ensuite but every time he tried to comfort her with the touches they normally shared, she would shrug him off and glare at him.

He sat on the edge of the bathtub watching as his wife swapped the waste basket for the toilet, guilt stabbing at his chest as the sounds of violent vomiting echoed off the tiles.

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart. It’s my fault you’re in this mess…”

“Yeah…” Evie coughed into the bowl; “...Well, it takes two to tango….” she sat back on the cold floor and sighed deeply, her stomach aching from exertion as she leaned against the tub and side eyed her husband.

“We should’ve been more careful. Dammit Everlyn, we’re hunters. Caution is in our nature-”

“Says the fucko with the cream pie fetish…”

“Hrmm…”

“What are we going to do?” Evie sighed, the fight leaving her as the tsunami of nausea finally eased and she pulled herself up from the floor.  “I mean, she’s eating breakfast in our kitchen, for crapsake!”

“Yeah… that’s  _ weird _ . Umm…. so….did you guys talk or…?”Dean said meekly as he watched his wife rinse with mouthwash and spit into the sink. She caught his eye in her reflection and sighed deeply, seeing by his face that he was ready to accept whatever punishment she decided to dole out.

“Dean, I don’t expect you to stick around for my sake. Sam and I can handle this-”

“You really think I’d just knock you up and run for the hills?! Everyln, I’m  _ so sorry  _ I acted like a Grade A jerk but you-you can’t tell me to go! It’s….She’s _ my _ baby. Castiel told me everything last night. Please! I know I fucked up but I-I don’t know what else to tell you other than I’m so sorry. For everything-!”Dean was beginning to sound frantic now and Evie sighed, taking his hand to lead him towards the bed.

“You hurt me deeply, Dean;” she said in a firm tone as they sat down on the edge; “But I can’t deny my role in the deceit. I should’ve told you as soon as I found out but I didn’t want to ruin the wedding. I was shocked, scared even but...Dean, she’s actually a total sweetheart.”

Dean gulped. “Yeah? Look, let’s start again, clean slate.”

“Urgh, I don’t think I could take planning a third wedding, Dean-”

“N-No, I meant…. You’re  _ pregnant. _ ”

“We’ve established that, yes.”Evie deadpanned, picking up the well-worn photograph from the sheets. It was so old the paper was almost as thin as crepe and it depicted a barely four years old Dean holding a sleeping newborn blessed with a shock of dark brown hair as he kissed his head.

“This is a beautiful picture…”

“One of my favorites.” Dean rubbed a hand down his chin and dared to scoot closer; “So glad Sam insisted on buying that Nikon back in Ohio. Now we can add to the family album.”

“That’s a nice thought, Dean. I don’t have any photos of my own around here…”Evie dipped her head and leaned against her husband, a slight sniffle escaping her. At that, Dean placed a finger and thumb under her chin and gently lifted her jaw. Two pairs of evergreen eyes met, unsure but hopeful as he moved to gently kiss her.

“I wish my mother was here. She’d be delighted to meet Diana.”

“Her name is Diana?” Dean asked; “Good name. Strong”

“Yeah… Diana Charlotte Winchester. Nice ring to it.” Evie sighed, the tension easing from her shoulders as she finally allowed him to wind his arms around her. Dean chuckled softly and nestled his nose in her collarbone.

“Well, I’m  _ royally fucked.” _

“Huh? Why?”

“Y’know what they say about men like me being blessed with daughters, right?”

Evie blinked at him as Dean gave a hearty grin.

“Instant karma!”

Before Evie could give a withering response, there was a soft knock at the door. 

“Is it safe to come in yet?” came Sam’s voice, uncertain.

Dean got up and opened the door, finding Sam and the young blonde woman he had so recently hightailed it away from several hours prior. Not knowing what to say, Dean could only smile awkwardly as Diana stared at him for a moment.

“Hi, Dad.”

_ “Holy shit _ ....” Dean uttered aloud, eyes widening as he took in the sight of his daughter. 

It was like looking at a female version of himself at what, sixteen, seventeen? Strawberry blonde hair cut short and sticking up at wild angles with the odd curl here and there, pale freckled skin and short, bow legged stature. Clad in threadbare shorts and a grubby vest, Dean became acutely aware that she had seen some things in her life judging from the myriad of scars peppering her bare legs- deep red lines, thin pink ones, silvery keloids and puckers of burnt flesh.

Inwardly, his heart ached. He barely knew her but already could read the road map of a Hunter’s life etched into her skin. A slight cough from Sam brought Dean back to himself and he chuckled softly, not sure what to do other than to lightly pet Diana’s head.

“Uhh… Hey, kiddo.”

“What, no hug? C’mere to me, you big eejit!” Diana cooed before pulling Dean into an embrace that nearly choked the oxygen from his lungs. “You’re a  _ total assbutt _ but I love you deeply. I take it you and Ma made up?”

“Uhhh…”

Evie grinned at the scene: Dean was flummoxed and slightly winded, standing there with his soon-to-be-born daughter hugging him tightly whilst he could only grimace in awkward silence.

“Sam, where’d you put the camera?”

“Way ahead of you, Everlyn!” Sam laughed as he got out his phone and snapped a selfie of his brother and niece’s first official meeting.”There’s one for the ages!”

“Nice to see everyone’s talking civilly again.” came Jack’s voice from the doorway as he stood with folded arms and a worried expression; “You’ll need a level head for what I’m about to tell you. The news is on. I’d implore you all to come into the living room for an urgent family meeting…”

Evie’s smile dropped.

“That sounds ominous.”

Jack shook his head but said no more, retreating down the hall. Releasing her father, Diana stood before him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

 

_ “This is not going to be easy to swallow but one thing’s for certain, we have the dubious advantage of foresight. C’mon. Let’s kick Lucifer’s ass!” _

 

* * *

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's get this show on the road...!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the delay. Health issues not withstanding, this chapter was hard to write for a bunch of reasons- writer's block and glitchy Internet do not a good marriage make. Still, I hope you enjoy. Bit shorter than I'd have liked but it does the job.  
> Next few chapters will be staggered as I work out the afforementioned health issues so apologies in advance for any prolonged lulls between updates.

**CHAPTER NINE**   
  


“Wait… so all this time Jefferson Rooney was Lucifer’s meatseat?!” Dean spat incredulously.

“Surprised you’re surprised, Dad.” Diana said cooly, cocking her head to the side as the family crowded around the flatscreen in the Dean Cave; “Your spidey sense must be gettin’ rusty in your old age.”

Dean narrowed his eyes.

“Careful with those Old Man jokes, brat...”

“Do you two have a plan of action we can follow?” Castiel queried as Jack paced around the room with a frown on his face. The angel studied the Nephilim with a wary expression, still cautious and unsure. He could feel the young man’s energy rippling in the space, quiet agitation barely contained as ill tamed grace rolled off him in waves.

Jack inhaled a sharp breath.

“We need to be completely focused. Monitor his online activities because that’s how the war begins- one misconstrued tweet to end life on the Eastern Seaboard as we know it.”

“World War Twitter.  _ Great _ …” Dean grumbled as he loaded bullets into his Desert Eagle. “Though all the erratic behavior from that douche  _ does  _ explain a lot. Still, we can’t just go stormin’ the White House. The place is a fortress.”

“True but we have a Nephilim and an angel on our side. Plus, Jack and I both know all the crucial dates to set up a warning system. If my timing is right, we have approximately five months before the first nuke drops on Washington DC but we can’t rest on our laurels, Dad. We need to take out the President as soon as possible before North Korea gets an itchy trigger finger.” 

Diana grabbed the remote and shut off the TV, turning to face her parents.

It had been a long briefing, both Dean and Castiel alarmed to find that Lucifer had been right in front of their faces at this time. Yet as the young blonde looked amongst the concerned faces before her, she noticed the quiet terror in her mother’s eyes and the haunted expression in Sam’s.

Her heart lurched and she reached for their hands. Evie’s lips thinned and she glanced at Sam. United in their shared trauma of dealing with the devil on a deep, agonizing level, they linked hands and watched as Diana cast they both a reassuring smile.

“We _ can _ do this. Trust me.”

“How, Diana?” Dean folded his arms over his chest; “It’s not like we can go in all guns blazin’.”

“True. We achieve nothing if we take the Leroy Jenkins approach.” said Castiel as he sat on the arm of the couch.

“The  _ what  _ approach?” Jack scrunched his eyes in confusion.

“...Never mind.” Castiel murmured, folding his arms in his lap; “The point being, it will be difficult to navigate this situation. Lucifer is the personification of all evil. In the endless years of his life, he has made many powerful alliances with the minions of Hell. If he gets so much as a sniff of our heavy handed approach, the consequences could be dire.”

“Then we fuck him gently.” Diana quipped as she cracked her knuckles. “Sneak up behind him and lure him into a false sense of securit-”

“Absolutely  _ not, _ Diana!” Jack snapped suddenly, the lights in the room flickering as his grace surged; “We are not using you as  _ bait! _ ”

“It worked the last time!” Diana retorted but Jack frowned darkly and grasped her shoulders hard enough for her to wince.

“That may be the case but need I remind you of the heavy loss we took when the final fire burnt out?” the young man glanced anxiously at Castiel and his Adam’s apple quivered as he struggled to keep his composure.

Diana stared at him, her lip thinning as she considered her words carefully. Taking a deep breath, she took Jack’s hands and slowly pried herself free from his grip. Her green eyes darted to Castiel and she bowed her head.

“This time will be different. Castiel will have his full grace in the tank. If we do this right, no-one has to die.” her voice was calm but tinged with sadness and the angel in question stood up.

Jack’s aura was vibrating at an alarming rate and Castiel knew she had poked a nerve suggesting a ‘bait-and-switch’. He placed a hand on the Nephilim’s shoulder and exerted just enough of his own grace to silently tell Jack to calm himself. The younger man turned to face him and the look of abject pain on his face was enough to tell Castiel all Jack struggled to voice.

Gritting his teeth, Jack sank into the couch and thumped at the seat.

Kneeling before him, Diana placed her hands on his knees.

“I know it’s been a rough couple of weeks, Jack… but it’s a different time. A  _ hopeful _ time. We have pre-emptive strikes in our arsenal along with the whole calvary… but you need to  _ breathe _ , okay? Losing Cas? It hit me hard too.”

The rest of the family remained silent, watching as the youngest Winchester comforted the stricken Nephilim.

“It won’t be a suicide mission… not this time.” Diana glanced at Sam and gave a wistful smile; “I think the road trip idea would be best. Twenty hours in close quarters with Cas by your side. He can teach you to focus and by the time we get to DC, you’ll be in the zone. You’ll be a goddamn ninja, Jack. C’mon. I’m sorry I brought up….yeah…”

Slowly, Jack stood up. Diana moved to smooth down the tattered edges of his sweater but his eyes burned into hers. “Dee, I swear to God if you put yourself in danger-

“Not gonna happen.” Dean step forward, thumbing the Desert Eagle strapped to his belt; “However, you an’ me need to talk.”

“Uhh… okay?” Jack looked confused as Dean circled him.

“Cas an’ I talked last night. You’re a Nephilim, right?”

“Yes, but don’t-”

“You could be a liability.” Dean ignored Jack’s attempt to explain away his heritage and instead thumbed his chin, eyes narrowed; “Still, I’m not going to upset the apple cart by givin’ you shit at this stage. But know this- you start acting out, I’ll kill you myself-”

“ _ Dad! _ Cmon, that’s uncalled for!” Diana snapped, alarmed as she could see Dean’s jaw flex in warning. She scowled at him and shook her head. The lights flickered again and she could see Jack was struggling to keep his cool.

Sensing a potentially ugly situation, Castiel quietly guided Jack towards the door.

“Let me talk to him. You are so quick to make rash assumptions sometimes, Dean…” the angel said in a tired tone as he passed. Turning to Jack, he smiled softly; “Ignore him. I will be happy to help you contain yourself but be aware that I have never dealt with a Nephilim before so it shall be a learning experience for both of us.”

“Thanks, Castiel. That’s very diplomatic of you.”Jack murmured.

“I will need you to fill me in on what happened. I sense from your interactions with Diana that my demise greatly affected you.”

Jack nodded, rubbing his nose with the sleeve of his sweater.

“Yes. You are like a father to me…”

“Would you like some tea?”

The two angelic creatures disappeared down the hall, their voices gently fading as Sam took to closing over the door to the Dean Cave. Evie exhaled a shaky breath and tapped her foot on the floor, chewing on her bottom lip as she considered everything she had just been told.

Her stomach churned uncomfortably but this time, it had nothing to do with her pregnancy….

* * *

  
  


**The White House, Washington DC, 2019**

Vice President O’Reilly sighed deeply and rubbed a hand over his tightly buzzed head, his eyes screaming from prolonged exposure to the light of two large TV screens before him. It was after midnight and he’d been toiling for hours on end, a stack of paperwork wobbling ominously in the Inbox beside his #1 Dad mug.

“Christ on a bike, why am I doing this shit?” he grumbled aloud as he moved to stretch. His back cracked loudly in the silence of the small office and he winced as his muscles seized from hunching for so long.

_ Because you know Jefferson and the man in that Oval Office is not him, Joey. Trust your instincts... _

Rubbing the back of his neck, O’Reilly glanced around. The blinds to the office were closed affording some degree of privacy but still, he couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched. Taking a swig of lukewarm coffee, he blanched and thought briefly about getting up to brew a fresh batch but was beaten to the punch by the sound of the computer beeping loudly in the stillness.

With a sigh, he pulled up the hidden tabs that had been running in the background all night and his lips thinned.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Rooney…!” he uttered aloud as the President’s search history appeared before him: Dark Web links to disturbing images of extreme pornography that burned deep into the back of his eyes, gruesome acts of violence and war, discord, chaos and all other manner of nightmare fuel.

Inhaling a deep breath, O’Reilly finished the tepid coffee and reached into his desk drawer for an external hard drive. The porn alone would be enough to take Rooney down on sexual battery charges but even as the data began to download onto the terabyte drive, the embattled Vice President couldn’t shake the foreboding feeling in his gut.

The screens began to flicker and glitch, static and flashes of blue screening suddenly filling the monitors.

“Shit, what-?”

And then it happened. Joseph O’ Reilly’s worst fear realized.

The Skype app opened to a vision of the man himself smirking devilishly into the camera.

_ “Joey, Joey, Joey…!” _

O’Reilly bit his tongue to keep from screaming but it was useless as the lights began to dim of their own accord, a supernatural wind whipping up to throw his carefully organized desk into disarray. A surge of electricity and the hard-drive exploded, peppering O’ Reilly with shards of plastic and silicon.

_ “...Don’t you know curiosity killed the cat?” _

Gritting his teeth against the string of colourful curse words bubbling up his throat, O’ Reilly scrambled to get out of the office but he was frozen by some unseen force, his feet feeling as though they were nailed to the floor.

The grotesque grin of Jefferson Rooney began to glitch and distort in the twin monitors as he gave a cruel, maniacal laugh, filling the room with sadistic glee before everything went black…

* * *

  
  


**Meanwhile, in a Chevy Impala speeding down the Interstate...**

 

Evie nibbled on a cracker and glanced into the rearview mirror, calm despite the hint of nausea sloshing within her stomach as Dean floored the gas and hummed along to an AC/DC track on the radio.

In the backseat, Jack and Castiel were playing an impromptu game of Poker whilst Diana stared faraway and dreamlike out of the open window, one elbow propped on the door handle.

She hadn’t said much since they all packed up and piled into the Impala and Evie found herself drawn to quietly watching her daughter for the last twenty minutes as the family sped from the relative safety of Lebanon towards an uncertain future.

Despite Dean’s reservations towards such a long road-trip, everyone agreed that the plan to go low and slow seemed to be the one with the most advantages and so it was that the Impala became loaded to full capacity with people and weapons, gunning it past 80 as the Kansas scenery faded into the distance.

It was two hours into a lengthy stint on the road that things got interesting…

“Never have I ever… eaten key lime pie that didn’t taste like a lump of rubber.” Diana rolled her eyes as she sat next to Jack and Castiel in the backseat, tracing random patterns in the condensation of the window by her head.

“What, there’s no pie in the future?” Dean frowned at his daughter from the rearview mirror.

“ _ Nope _ .” She sighed, wiping her finger on her flannel shirt and folding her arms; “Kinda hard to mill for flour when the crops keep failing. We have the powdered artificial crap and ungodly monstrosities that come sealed in cans from the Army but honest to goodness homemade pie? No, I’ve never had any, at least not in recent memory…”

“Well, that’s just  _ tragic! _ ” Dean exclaimed, disgusted at what he was hearing; “You’ve never had pie?! An’ you call yourself my daughter!”

Diana snorted and shrugged.

“That’s just how it is in the future, Dad. The food supply chain was hit pretty bad in the early days. All I’ve ever known is tinned food, rations and water purification tablets though the reservoir in the Bunker kept us going for a good while...sounds grimmer than it is but hey, that’s life in the Apocalypse world.”

“Okay, I’m turnin’ this car around-”

The Impala took a sharp left off the Interstate and Sam startled awake in the front seat as the suspension rattled and hummed.

“Whu-?!”

“There’s a roadside dinner ten minutes north of here. All this talk of pie’s got me hungry and I’m sure you need to pee, Everlyn?”Dean glanced at his wife, who had been lightly dozing in Sam’s lap up to this point.

Evie groaned and nodded, feeling her bladder surge to life as the infant Diana within her womb gleefully used it as a squeeze toy.

“Shrewd observation… how far out are we from city limits?” she failed to stifle a yawn, watching as Sam pulled a map from the glove department.

“Four or five hours. Might as well get some eats…” Sam mused as he glanced towards the horizon, seeing the faint makings of a small town grow steadily closer beyond the windscreen.

 

**Ten minutes later…**

 

The deluxe bakery-come-cafe just outside Red Cloud, Nebraska was, to Dean Winchester at least, a veritable Graceland of baked goods. 

From the moment he and his family walked in following the beginnings of possibly the longest road-trip of their lives, his previous doubts died away to be replaced with an almost childlike exuberance when he took in the sight of four floor-to-ceiling glass cabinets stocked with so many cakes, pies and pastries he couldn't possibly count them all much less decide on what to try first.

_ “Dianaaa, _ look at this place! I've died an' gone to  _ Heaven _ !”Dean sighed pleasurably as he rubbed his hands together gleefully, earning an eye roll from his daughter before they found a large table near the window and sat, sagging into the plush blue leather and savouring a change of scenery from the endless stretch of roads into the Midwest.

“Take your pick of the pies, darlin’, I’m buyin’!”

Diana glanced at Jack and folded her arms on the table.

“You always did enjoy tinned peaches, eh, Jack? Think they might have cobbler…”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having, Dee.” Jack replied, peering into the nearest pie cabinet with keen interest; “They all look so good…!”

“Me an’ Sam used to come here years ago on the way out of Lebanon for one last piece o’ pie before a difficult hunt. Became something of a good luck ritual though since Evie’s been here, we kinda fell outta habit.” Dean said as he twiddled his thumbs. 

Castiel walked around the table and stopped at the large jukebox in the corner, his interest piqued. Reaching into his trench-coat pocket, he searched for a quarter and hit the Randomize button, filling the silence of the dinner with some easy jazz.

A middle-aged waitress with curly black hair and a kind smile approached the brothers, holding up a small notepad in preparation towards taking their orders.

“Hey there, folks. See anything you like?” she asked, sweeping a hand towards the astonishing array of baked goods on display.

Dean let out a low whistle, wide-eyed at the dizzying selection before him. “I-God, I don't even know where to begin! What's your best seller?”

The waitress’ smile widened.

“Most folk come for the peace an’ quiet but stay for second helpings of our key lime pie.”

Dean nodded and gently nudged Diana’s elbow.

“What did I tell ya?! We’ll take two large slices. Sam, what do you want?”

“Banana cream looks good to me. I’ll have that an’ some coffee, thanks.” The younger Winchester brother leaned on the table and watched as the two teenagers in his company surveyed their surroundings.

Once Evie had returned from the lady’s room and Castiel had joined them at the table, the waitress returned with a plate full of sumptuous treats. As Evie robbed a slice of banana from Sam’s plate, she propped her elbows upon the formica and peered at her daughter and the young man sat next to her.

Jack’s fork was poised above his untouched peach cobbler, a frown upon his features as uncertainty crossed his face.

“What’s wrong?” Diana asked him, her own slice of key lime still intact on the plate before her.

“It’s...it’s too  _ pretty _ to eat.”

Sam chuckled and shook his head. “Seriously? The food in the future must be _ tragic! _ ”

“Ooff, don’t remind me, Sammy…” Diana grimaced before picking up her fork and carving out a chunk of bright green jello. “Get over yourself, Jack. Open wide!”

“What are you- _ Mrrph! _ ” Before Jack could get the words out, Diana had her fork at his lips, the taste of chocolate and lime swirling through his head as he opened his mouth and took the chunk of pie out of surprise. He stared at her for a moment, then began to chew slowly before he closed his eyes and let out a small groan of approval.

Grinning, Diana took her cue to dive in and she began to eat, laughter thrumming in her chest. Feeling emboldened, Jack swallowed the key lime and enthusiastically began to prime a chunk of peach cobbler for her to try, cupping a hand around his fork to keep the morsil from falling.

“Okay, your turn!” he said brightly as Diana scooted closer and opened her mouth.

Meanwhile, Evie was trying so hard to hold back a giggle fit and failing miserably. Sam rolled his eyes and wound an arm around her shoulder to reign her in before the cogs he saw shifting into gear behind her green eyes had a chance to jump into warp speed.

“Don’t you _dare!_ ”he growled low.

“Oh c’mon, Sam! They’re adorable!”Evie whispered as the teenagers gleefully fed each other pie, enjoying the culinary delights of the offbeat bakery; “Can’t I just give ‘em a a wee nudge in the right direction-?”

“What are you two whispering about?” Dean shuffled forward, licking whipped cream off his top lip as he peered at his wife and brother.

“Ohh,  _ nothing… _ ” Evie said with a singsong tone, unable to hid the shiver of laughter as her shoulders trembled from holding back the urge to matchmake.

“It don’t look like nothin’. Spill.” Dean said, pursing his lips as he wiped his chin with an napkin.

Castiel sighed and clasped his hands together, resting his chin attop.

“It would appear she sees Diana and Jack’s overt chemistry and wishes to intervene much like she did with you and I in Wisconsin…”he said evenly, giving Evie a tired but amused expression.

“Urrrgh, seriously?!” Dean groaned at the implications and Diana looked up, the noise not going unnoticed. She scrubbed peach jam from her lips and frowned.

“Somethin’ on your mind, Daddio?”

“Ohh...uhh… well…”Dean cleared his throat awkwardly and scrunched up the napkin; “Just wonderin’ about sleepin’ arrangements. Gonna stop for the night when we hit the city limits an’...uh…” he trailed off, glancing between his daughter and Jack.

Diana groaned loudly and snorted.

“What, you think Jack an’ I…? Ohh, no, nothin’ like  _ that _ !”

“Seriously? But you’re so cute together-!” said Evie.

Diana shook her head and pushed her fringe from her face. She patted Jack’s hand fondly and smiled but it didn’t extend to her eyes.

“Thanks. We get that a lot, actually.”

“But?”

Diana licked her lips and her smile turned down at the corners.

“How do I put this…? We share a bed but we don’t do the...ahh… mattress mambo or anything like that. We’re the best of friends, partners in crime and as close as two people can be without letting all that physical crap ruin a good thing.”

Jack nodded but said nothing. Inwardly, he felt as if he had a lump of peach cobbler wedged in his windpipe. He’d heard that speech before and normally he could shake it off but after all that had happened in the last 48 hours, doubt had crept in and he could feel his chest constrict.

Clearing his throat, he took a sip of soda and plastered on a smile, his eyes meeting Dean’s.

“We’ve been through a lot but there’s nothing more to us than a strong friendship. You don’t need to worry, Dean. My intentions towards your daughter are strictly platonic.”

Dean nodded, swigging from his coffee mug.

“Still doesn’t mean I trust you. Diana, you room with me and your mother. Cas, you take the twin with Sam-”

“Oh, c’mon Dad! Enough with the trust crap! If Jack wanted to hurt any of us don’t you think he would’ve done so by now? Besides, nothing good ever comes from separating us even if it’s just for one night-”

“Sweetheart, I’m your father. No men after ten.”

“Ma, can you back me up here?” Diana groaned, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

Evie bit her lip and let out a snort of laughter as she held up her hands defensively.

“Whoa, no, missy, I’m not going there!”

The young blonde flapped her lips and glanced between Sam and Castiel.

“Guys…?!”

“You two probably have a routine back in your own time but this place is different. Look, just… I’m not saying you two’ll get up to mischief around your parents but well...you  _ are _ Dean’s daughter-”

“And your insinuation is, Sam?!” 

“-And any daughter of Dean’s is bound to have a wild streak. Sorry, Diana. Seperate rooms.”

Sam sighed, pushing his plate of pie crumbs aside.

 

Diana grumbled and folded her arms.

_ “...Sonoffabitch…!” _

 

* * *

 

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's Notes:** Urrp, apologies for the long lapse in updates. My offline life got delightfully interesting and hectic. I'm now an aunt so that's a drastic change! This chapter was tricky to write as I had a lot of health stress and like Diana, major headaches. But I'm happy now with how it goes so I hope it is well received.  
>  For now, I'll shut up and let you enjoy!
> 
> PS: THAT SEASON 14 FINALE D: *gross sobbing*

**CHAPTER TEN**

It was a little shy of midnight when the Impala pulled into the first of a projected four rest stops along the way to Washington. By the time the engine powered down, Diana had fallen asleep in the backseat, her head resting on Jack’s shoulder as light snores escaped her.

Dean chuckled softly to himself, carefully opening the door before gently lifting his daughter into his arms. She whimpered in her sleep but otherwise didn’t stir, a crinkle appearing between her brows as Dean carried her towards the motel.

Back in the backseat, Jack watched Dean’s retreating form and sighed deeply as he swept a hand through his hair. The last five hours had been mostly uneventful, the family making small talk and singing along to the radio. Jack had not been in a particularly chatty mood, too focused on Diana’s words from the diner as she denounced any intentions of romance between them.

Sensing a shift in the young Nephilim’s mood, Castiel nudged Jack’s arm and gave him a kind smile.

“Are you alright?”

Jack shook his head and his lips thinned as he gave a shrug.

“I’ll be fine once I get some sleep, Castiel. The road took a lot out of me-”

“Yes, you’ve been rather quiet since we left Nebraska. Something on your mind?”

Glancing out at the large half lit neon sign towering over the parking lot, Jack avoided Castiel’s gaze but it was fruitless. Clearly his troubled thoughts had been written all over his face the whole car ride.

“It’s just….never mind….I’m tired.” The younger man murmured sheepishly. 

Without giving Castiel time to reply, he got out of the car and followed alongside Sam and Evie into the motel.

After securing a large family room and some crappy pizza, one by one, everyone crashed out until Sam was left alone in the small kitchenette, his laptop glowing in the dim light as it performed a cursory scan of the local news articles for any stand out anomalies.

“Sam, I need to speak to you.” Castiel’s voice caused Sam to look up from the keyboard.

The angel slid a cup of steaming tea towards his friend.

“What’s up, Cas?”

“It’s about Jack.”

“Yeah… he was pretty aloof for those last couple o’ hours on the road. I’m concerned. Is something up with him?” Sam asked from over the rim of his cup as Castiel took a seat before him.

The angel nodded, his hands in his lap as he glanced over the breakfast bar.

Two queen beds took up the majority of the floor space and nearest to the door, Diana lay snoring on her stomach with a comatose Dean to her left and Evie bringing up the big spoon to her right.

Meanwhile, on the other bed, Jack had his back to the rest of the family, curled up under the thin sheets in the foetal position and making no noise save for low, steady breathing.

“I have reason to believe that the Nephilim in our charge is experiencing a profound sense of love sickness. I can feel it in his aura, Sam. His heart is heavy and his atoms call out to be heard.” Castiel’s voice was low as he leaned towards Sam, his expression stoic.

“Is that a bad thing?” Sam said in a worried tone, glancing towards Jack’s still form.

“It can be detrimental, yes.”

At that, Sam frowned and took a large gulp of tea. “What do you mean, Cas?”

Castiel sighed deeply.

“For too many years, I held back on telling Dean about the feelings he stirred within me. You must understand, Sam, that whilst angels are typically regarded as being incapable of experiencing the complexities of love, I’ve been Earthbound so long that I came to become more attuned to the experience. Yet by holding it back, I suffered in silence.”

The angel rubbed his chin and continued; 

“I found myself lapsing in concentration, physically aching from the stress of holding it in and God knows seeing Dean in the arms of all those women certain hurt on a literal level. It was a strange thing to experience being lovelorn. I certainly would not wish it upon anyone else...but judging from how quiet our young friend has been since we left Nebraska, it seems he is going through a great deal of heartache.”

Sam leaned back and shook his head.

“I figured. Jack looked so defeated when she told him there was no hope… I feel bad for the guy but Cas, you’re not seriously considering giving them a nudge in the right direction, are you?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t meddle but… I see much of myself in Jack. He’s in pain, Sam. I can’t attest to the effects of lovesickness on a Nephilim but know that his soul is deeply troubled. As Dean said, he could be problematic if his grace starts to go haywire.”

At that, Sam’s eyes grew wide and he once more glanced at Jack.

“Yikes, are you serious? How do we stop  _ that  _ from happening?”

“I will teach him control and also encourage him to confide in me. I would recommend you do the same. He cannot talk to Dean-you’ve seen how overprotective he’s grown of Diana in the short time he’s known her-so Jack needs all the advice he can get.” 

Castiel followed Sam’s line of sight. On the bed under the window, Jack pulled the sheets over his head and twitched slightly, his bare feet poking out. It was abundantly clear to the angel that his younger counterpart had heard every word but was still in no mood to talk.

“Everlyn seemed eager to nudge them together…”

Sam shook his head and rubbed his forehead.

“I urged her not to but giving what you just told me, if you think it might help...but what if it makes things  _ weird _ between them?”

Getting up from his seat, Castiel walked silently towards the bed where Dean lay and bent slightly to brush his fingers featherlite through the sleeping man’s hair.

“Then we console them both and chalk it up to experience. If nothing else, Jack will know exactly where he stands and no longer spend time wallowing in regret and self-doubt. Lord knows it almost killed me holding my tongue about declaring my love for Dean.”

“I had no idea you experienced such hardship, Cas-” Sam started but before he could finish his sentence the laptop bleeped and a new tab opened on the screen alerting him to a breaking news story.

“Uh-oh…”

“What is it, Sam?” Castiel returned once more to the kitchenette and leaned over Sam’s shoulder to squint at the laptop.

“It’s the Vice President…” Sam cleared his throat as he scrolled through the news posting; “...Joseph O’Reily’s been found dead in his office in an apparent suicide.”

“Oh dear… this is not good.”

Sam’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he attempted to access the classified data. Rubbing his eyes, he sighed and took a sip of tea before turning the laptop towards Castiel. 

“Here, it says there was series of electrical disturbances at the White House prior to O’Reilly’s death. No witness reports, no mention of him being in distress or displaying signs of suicidality. My verdict? Murdered, possibly by the head honcho himself.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes at the report on screen.

“If Lucifer is murdering his subordinates, no-one is safe. This is  _ bad _ , Sam.”

“What’s the next step? I’m fresh out of ideas.”Sam sighed.

“Well, one upside is that fear lives among demons in times of unrest. It’s possible there could be well-connected minions in each state we hit that may have information. Let’s use that to our advantage. It’s not a huge lead but it may prove useful.”

“Good thinking, Cas. I’ll look into any strange activity in the area tomorrow. Right now, I’m ready to crash.” Standing up, Sam shut off the laptop and toed off his shoes. He stretched and groaned before walking to the fold-out sofa that acted as the divider between kitchen and bedroom.

Perched on the edge of the mattress, he ran a hand through his hair and glanced between Diana’s sleeping form and Jack, who was now lightly snoring himself. A weak smile tugged at his face.

“I don’t know what’s scarier… getting the jump on Lucifer or young love’s dream..!”

* * *

  
  


**The next morning…**

The news stations were abuzz with speculation as to the untimely death of Joseph Keith O’Reily. Despite the telling report Sam had managed to glimpse at, there was no mention of the cause of death as the stations focused their reports on memorial pieces and past achievements of the late Vice President.

Meanwhile, in the local news, a series of cattle mutilations and sudden disappearances all pointed to demonic activity in the area so, kitted out in black slacks and a simple white dress shirt, Diana became adamant on taking her mother’s place in a stakeout at the nearest farm.

“I’ll be fine, Ma;” the young blonde said in a confident tone, casting a buck-toothed smile as her parent sighed and sat on the bed. “...Dad taught me well. I can do this.”

“I know, I just… I’m just  _ worried _ , Diana. I’ve never seen you fight and if it gets hairy, I’d never forgive myself-” Evie ran a hand over her stomach and grimaced, the remnants of that morning’s edition of nausea still rolling around her mouth.

“Jack’s coming with me and we have Castiel bringing up the rear. Relax, it’s just a routine demon hunt but if we get any good info, we’ll be out like a shot before the shit hits the fan.”

“I’m coming with you.” Dean said firmly as he loaded shells filled with rock salt into his shotgun; “You’ll need back up.”

“Daaad, I  _ have _ done this before, y’know.”

“That may be the case but you’re my daughter an’ I’m not about to watch you get hurt or worse-”Dean cocked the shotgun and stashed it in his kit bag before slinging it over his left shoulder. “-don’t care how many salt an’ burns you’ve done before, kiddo. We do this together or not at all…”

Diana groaned and flapped her lips.

“ _ Fiiiine _ …. but I’m driving!”

Dean snorted. “Yeah, right. Keep dreamin’, Diana-!”

“Dean...Dean, please, this just stinks of bad juju…” Evie groaned, laying down on the bed as her stomach churned uncomfortably; “Promise me nothing bad’ll happen?”

Diana frowned and sat next to her mother on the bed, gently rubbing a hand along her back.

“Yeesh, mornin’ sickness is really kickin’ your ass, Ma. I’m sorry. Just one more month and you’ll be giggling the rest of the pregnancy.”

“If you say so...I’d feel better if Sam went too.” Evie replied, getting comfortable on the mattress and pulling the sheets up to her neck. 

Jack, who had been quietly surveying the news printouts that Sam had compiled, glanced at the family around him. He hadn’t slept easy all night. Hearing about O’ Reilly’s death had spooked him somewhat but he swallowed his fears and cleared his throat loudly, picking fluff off the tired old black blazer he wore as a federal agent disguise.

“Maybe Castiel should stay behind and look after you, Evie. You don’t look so great…” Jack said quietly as he handed the nauseated young woman a box of crackers. She smiled at him and gladly took his offering.

“Thanks….”Evie glanced between the four other people at the foot of the bed. “Go kick some ass.”

“Hopefully this won’t take long.” Sam kissed her gently on the forehead before Dean followed up with a peck on the lips.

* * *

  
  


**About an hour and a half later…**   
  


After an hour of enquiring among the townsfolk, all clues pointed to the old slaughterhouse on the outskirts of town. Some of the older residents- superstitious country folk- feared an influx of Satanists following a dozen cattle mutilations and so the hunt around the old farmland had gathered several witnesses as Sam, Dean, Jack and Diana cased the building.

Double checking the magazine in her Desert Eagle, Diana frowned as she cautiously peered into a windowframe. “I don’t like this. Too many witnesses means too many casualties. Jack, can you tell these people to leave? They’re givin’ me the heebies.”

Jack nodded and pulled out his fake FBI badge.

“Sure thing.” He turned and held his hands up over his head, his voice calm but authoritative; “People, I’m Jack Dawson, FBI and this is a federal manhunt. This is an active investigation and you risk getting hurt if you linger. Please, go back to your homes and await further instruction.”

The townsfolk grumbled but obeyed, and soon the wasteland surrounding the slaughterhouse was silent but for the Winchesters’ boots crunching on the dried earth. One by one, they each followed Dean into the building, no-one talking as flashlights were primed and guns were cocked.

As Diana cased the seemingly abandoned old building, Sam and Jack drifted down a dimly lit corridor, ears pricked for any signs of movement. When the area was cleared, the older of the two men cleared his throat and chuckled softly to himself.

“Sooo… Jack  _ Dawson _ ?” Sam said to break the silence as they all stood in a darkened atrium.

“That’s my FBI name, Sam. What’s so weird about it?” Jack replied.

“Nothin’...just….didn’t know you liked Titanic….”

“Now’s not the time to be debating aliases, Sam. I heard something move to your right-” Diana started gruffly but only to let out a startled yell as something large rushed her and caused her to topple to the floor, her gun skittering into the corner.

“Diana! You okay?!” Jack yelled out, using his grace to envelope the room in bright blue light that showed the flecks of dried blood on the ground. His friend lay on her back on the tiled floor, dazed as the shadow of her assailant darted out of view.

“Go, go, go! I’ll be fine!”Diana gasped, clutching the back of her head as Sam helped her up.

Dean bit back a growl and glanced over at his daughter. There was a number of scratches on her left cheek and dried blood-no doubt from the grim embedded in the floor- flecked along her hairline but otherwise, she appeared fine. Even so, Dean was rattled and he set off in a run towards a set of rickety metal stairs in the far corner, pulling his shotgun out of the holster on his back.

A series of yells and grunts followed before a heavy mass appeared at the top of the stairs. Torch and grace light revealed it to be a hunchbacked old man in a red robe but before anyone could react, Dean whipped him over the head with the butt of his shotgun, causing the assailant to roll down the stairs and land in a heap.

Diana approached first, retrieving her gun from nearby.

The robed man twisted and jerked, foaming at the mouth as a curse escaped his lips.

“ _ Locuti fuerint tibi bona pace non est verum nisi veritate, osculans amores frangit sigillum septima-! _ ”but the man’s taunts was cut short by a deafening blast as Dean’s shotgun obliterated his head, showering Diana and Jack in gore and blood.

“Adios, bitch.” Dean removed the spent shell from his gun and turned the body over with the toe of his boot. The corpse twitched slightly before going still and he smirked.

“Not bad for a Bring Your Daughter To Work Day!”

“I…” Diana swayed in her spot, the world swirling around her as the back of her skull began to ache; “....I don’t feel so good…”

Jack rushed to her side and cupped her head in his hands. “Dee, you okay? That fall looked painful-”

“Mmm.” Diana closed her eyes and placed her hands over his, her entire body trembling; “H-Hold me closer, Jack. Don’t ever let me go….”her voice was low and almost sultry but it sounded hollow as she continued to sway. 

“The hell…?!” Dean almost tripped over his kill to inspect the damage and shoving Jack out of the way, he watched as his daughter collapsed into his arms.

“Hey! Diana, what’s happening?”

“Feels weird….but _ good weird _ ….”the young woman murmured, curling into her father’s chest before she promptly fell asleep. 

Sam stared in concern, rubbing a hand down his chin.

“She’s been tagged.”

“ _ Sonofabitch _ !” Dean tried to rouse her with a shake but Diana was out cold.

“Hmmm…. The warlock’s last words… Rough translation is: ‘you shall speak only the undisputed truth until true loves kiss breaks the seventh seal’. Dean…”Sam grimaced and shook his head; “...this is bad.”

“I’ll say. True love’s kiss?!” Dean glared at Jack, pointing a finger in his direction; “ _ Stay the fuck away from my daughter!” _

“But I didn’t-” Jack started, only for Sam to intervene and lift the comatose Diana out of his brother’s arms, cradling her gently as they walked towards the Impala.

“Jack, let me handle this. Dean, I know this spell. It’ll last about 24 hours but be prepared for some uncomfortable truths-”

“That Sleeping Beauty bullshit doesn’t fly with me.” Dean growled as he climbed into the backseat to rest Diana’s head on his lap. He threw the keys at Sam and exhaled sharply.

“Everlyn’ll have my balls for this….!”

“Dean… she’ll be okay-” Jack tried to reason with the eldest Winchester but it was fruitless.

* * *

 

 

Dean was angry as hell and throughout the whole ride back to the motel, he shot Jack filthy looks. 

Finally, as Diana was laid down to rest on the nearest bed, Evie emerged from the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth. Upon seeing her daughter passed out, she jumped and reached to shake Diana’s shoulder.

“What happened?” Evie said, concerned as Diana grumbled and batted her mother’s hand away.

Sam bowed his head, a look of guilt upon his features as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Perp was a warlock. He rushed her, knocked her over and then hit her with a Truth spell for good measure, b-but it’s okay. I know how to reverse it-”

“You better!” Evie snapped, sitting down on the bed and spitting toothpaste into the waste bin.

Pulling Diana’s head into her lap, Evie tried a simple caress along her jaw in a bid to rouse her but the teenager only wrinkled her nose in response. Sighing, Evie tried shaking her again but as she placed a hand to the back of her daughter’s skull, she was alarmed to feel a thick wetness on her hand.

“Blood…”Evie held up her hand, her eyes wide. Dean knelt by the bed and glanced at Castiel.

“She shouldn’t be asleep. Can be deathly if she has a concussion. Cas, can you help-?”

“Of course.” The angel nodded and attempted to heal the young teenager but when he placed a hand on Diana’s forehead, he was momentarily struck by how cold she felt to the touch. Narrowing his eyes, Castiel tried again but found a mental block in place, his grace failing him.

“Hmmm...it appears the spell is blocking my powers from healing her…”

“Urgh…” Dean scrapped a hand down his face and bit back the urge to curse. Exhaling sharply, he stood up and began to pace the motel room. “Sam, talk to me. “

The younger Winchester brother sat on the opposite bed with his laptop open on his knees, scanning through a tab displaying a series of ancient Latin texts and codexes. He was quiet for a moment before sighing and rubbing the back of his neck.

“She needs to ride it out for the twenty four hours.”

“Seriously?!” Dean groaned.

“We just need to keep her calm and lucid.” Sam set the laptop aside and went to the bathroom, returning momentarily with a glass full of water. Clearing his throat, he sat down next to his niece and held her head in one of his gigantic hands, pressing the cool glass to her lips with the other.

“Diana…” Sam said calmly as he gently tilted the glass; “...Wake up, it’s getting late…”

Dean nodded. “Yeah… uh… you’ll miss the school bus…”

As the water gently coated Diana’s lips, her eyelids twitched and slowly opened. She blinked several times before wincing and moving to touch the back of her head.  “My head hurts.” she groaned as she sat upright.

“Hi. “Evie said gently, wrapping an arm around the younger woman; “Diana, can you tell us where you are? Do you know what year it is?”

Jack cocked his head to the side.

“Wait… the timeline thing might confuse her-”

“I...I think it’s the middle of May 2019, right, Jack?” Diana said as she tried to stand up only to fall back on the mattress.  _ “Shit....” _ Mumbling to herself, Diana pulled the duvet around her shoulders and coughed once, grimacing as her skull throbbed from the fall sustained during the warlock hunt.

“I’m scared, Jack…”Diana bowed her head low and covered it with her hands as a long groan escape her. “...Can’t lose anyone again. Can’t… hurts too much. Everyone I love is dead and it hurts  _ so fucking much… _ !”

Stepping forward, Jack placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

“Easy…you’re in a better place, Dee. Trust me, no-one’s going to die. Not today, not on my watch.”

At that, the young woman looked up at the Nephilim. Her green eyes were glassy and unfocused, brimming with tears. With a stifled sob, she hunched forward and clung to Jack’s torso, burying her face in his chest.

“Jack, please don’t leave me!”she whimpered, almost choking on her words; “I-I can’t….I wouldn’t… please, I need you. You’re the one good thing I have in my life! If you die, I have nothing left-!”

She clung tighter to Jack, almost squeezing the air from his lungs as she held on for dear life.

“I don’t care about anything only you-! I-I…. _Christ_ ….! Everything hurts, Jack!” 

“Dean, I think she’s growing hysterical. We need to calm her down.”Evie said in a hushed tone of worry as she watched her daughter sink to her knees and openly sob at Jack’s feet.

Dean nodded and knelt by the teenager’s side.

“C’mon, kiddo. I’m takin’ you to a hospital-”

“D-Daddy!” Diana cried out in despair; “ _ Please just eat some fucking kale already! H-Heart attacks are a bitch-!” _

“What?”

“Christmas Eve 2033... Please… your heart failed and you died that night-!”Diana was struggling to get the words out now, her body shaking as she convulsed to the sobs that she could no longer contain.

Dean’s eyes widened and he glanced at Sam, turning pale. 

Sam’s lips thinned and he pulled Diana to her feet, sweeping her up in a fireman’s lift as she wailed hysterically into his chest. 

For five minutes, he let her cry, feeling her small hands twist and claw at the flannel her wore until, gasping for air, the stricken young woman’s cries grew quiet and she looked up at him with terror in her green eyes.

No-one spoke but then she turned to Jack, slowly reaching out a hand to him.

“I’m here, Diana. Ssshh.” He leaned towards her and placed a hand on her cheek, causing her to close her eyes and nuzzle into him.

“J-Jack....”

“I’ll be here when you wake up, I promise.”

Diana hiccupped and slowly nodded, placing her own hand over his.

“Promise?”

“On my life.”

Though it was a long shot considering it hadn’t worked for Castiel, Jack drew back his hand and slowly reached out with his grace. He could feel her distress, the hidden pains brought to the surface by the warlock’s spell and the blockade he had placed to stop her healing.

Bowing his head, Jack concentrated on reaching out, feeling her call to him silently in the turbulence of her mind.

Then, his grace broke down the first seal. As she felt him gently caress her with angelic grace, Diana sighed low. Lying in Sam’s arms, she soon turned limp, falling into a deep slumber.

Evie shuddered out a breath.

 

“Hospital.  _ Now _ .”

* * *

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N** : Excuse me while I recover from the season 14th finale. I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS. I was rooting for you, Chuck, you assbutt! *ahem* Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, life got hectic. BEHOLD THE ANGST.  
> Also, my OC doctor makes a brief cameo here. :P  
> Enjoy!

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

According to Google Maps, the nearest hospital was forty five minutes away.

According to Dean Winchester flooring the gas, it was less than twenty. Ignoring red lights and stop signs, the Impala gunned it to the next town over and soon screeched to a halt just shy of the ambulance bay. Moving fast, Sam carried Diana through the doors, prompting a hospital attendant to rush out and tend to them.

As Diana was placed on a gurney and wheeled into the A&E, Evie stood back for a moment, winded by the surrounds of a busy hospital. The bustle, the smells and the noise all combined into a deafening cacophony and she grimaced as her knees buckled, causing her to grip the reception counter for stability.

“Everlyn, are you alright?” Castiel caught her by the elbow and held her steady, worry in his blue eyes. Evie ran a hand through her hair and sniffed.

“Sorry… I-I just can’t stand hospitals. Being here… kinda bringing bad memories back to me but don’t listen to my ramblin’. Go, help the doctors, Cas. I just need a minute.”

“I’ll get you some water.” Castiel said before he turned on his heels and strided in the opposite direction in search of a cooler.

As Sam and Dean rushed to Diana’s bedside, Evie found herself alone with Jack, who was sitting on one of the hard plastic chairs lining the reception room. He looked pale and rattled and her heart gave a lurch. Slowly, Evie inched towards him and took the seat opposite.

“Jack...what’s going on?”

“I...I’m not sure what that spell is doing to her but we’ll need all the grace we can get to bring her out of it.”Jack sighed, scratching at the stubble on his chin. Sucking in a deep breath, Evie leaned into him and locked eyes.

“She was so distressed. What was all that about? Dean…  _ Christmas..? _ ”

Averting his eyes, Jack placed his hands in his lap and shook his head.

“You’re asking me a horrible question, Evie. But I’ll answer it if you think you can handle what I feel you need to know.”

“She mentioned something about Dean’s heart.”

“Yeah… turns out, it really is the bacon that’ll kill him…” 

* * *

 

**Christmas Eve, 2033**

_ The weather in Lebanon, Kansas was frightful. _

_ A large blizzard had blown in from the north blanketing the entire Midwest in thick snow, a biting gale freezing the bones of anyone crazy enough to venture outside. All the more reason to hunker down for the night, much like Dean and Jack had done for the last three. _

_ Sitting in his self-professed man cave, Dean yawned and crossed his ankles as he sat in a worn out recliner chair, glancing at Jack from the corner of his eyes as the Nephilim took to artfully decorating a miniature pine tree on the bartop. _

_ “That looks pretty sharp, Jack.” Dean quipped, swigging from a beer. Standing back to admire his handwork, Jack smiled. _

_ “You think so? Diana is a lot better at this than me but if you think I did a good job…” _

_ “Heh, well I’d be in Santa’s bad books if I took to lyin’ on Christmas Eve!” _

_ “Wonder if she and Sam beat the blizzard. You should call them.” Jack handed Dean his cellphone and sat down curling his legs underneath him as he got comfortable. _

_ Dean chuckled softly and scrolled down the contacts list until he found his daughter’s number. The phone rang out twice before it connected. _

_ “Hey, Jack!” _

_ “Sweetheart, it’s me.” _

_ “Oh, hey, Daddy!” _

_ “Where are you? Not that I don’t appreciate Jack’s company but I miss you guys! It’s Christmas Eve. We should all be together.” _

_ A low chuckle from Diana. _

_ “I know, I’m sorry but the blizzard got too bad coming out of Sioux Falls so we stopped at a motel for the night. Sam managed to get a few tins of Spam so at least we won’t starve. Not ideal but we’ve had worse Christmases…” _

_ “Yeah…” Dean said with a note of sadness, his gaze lingering on a photograph perched on the sideboard above the TV.  It depicted his wedding day, the triumphant kiss on the steps of the Cleveland City Hall steps.  _

_ Dean gulped down the lump in his throat but he couldn’t ignore the aching inside his chest. _

_ “You okay?” Diana’s voice was soft. _

_ “Yeah, yeah, I’m good, baby girl… damn beer givin’ me heartburn.” _

_ “Dean, I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face. Eat a frickin’ vegetable already.” Sam came on the line and Dean snorted. _

_ “Shut up, bitch.” _

_ “You shut up, jerk.” He could hear the smile in Sam’s voice and as he rubbed the discomfort from his chest, Dean found himself chuckling. _

_ “Love you too, Sammy. Put Deedee back on the line.” _

_ “You’re on speakerphone. She heard everything.” _

_ “Daddy? I’m sorry we got seperated but you can blame that one on the weatherman. We’ll be home soon, okay?” _

_ “Hey, don’t apologize. Shit happens. Enjoy your spam dinner and be good for Santa!” _

_ “Pfft, I’m thirteen. Like I believe in that dude any more!” _

_ Dean frowned. The heartburn was growing more intense but he ignored it. _

_ “You’re still my baby girl, Diana. Humor me.” _

_ “Heheheh. I’ll try. I’ll call you in the morning, okay? I love you, Daddy. Merry Christmas.” _

_ “Love you too, Sweetheart. Happy Holidays.” _

_ “Don’t go anywhere. I got you an awesome present!” _

_ “I’ll be waiting impatiently as always.” _

_ Giggling down the line. _

_ “Heh, talk to you soon, Daddy.” _

 

_ “Goodnight, baby girl.” _

* * *

  
  


“...And then I walked into the room to wake him for breakfast…” Jack’s voice trailed off as he struggled to finish the story. Sitting in stunned silence, Evie could feel tears rolling down her cheeks. The thought of losing Dean reverberated around her mind and she pinched the bridge of her nose to try and shake away the mental image.

“Y-You found him?” she said quietly, slowly reaching to place a shaking hand on Jack’s shoulder. He leaned into the touch and nodded once.

“Yes. Nothing could be done. Not even Castiel could bring him back. Diana’s never gotten over it but until now, she’s kept it all in. I’ve tried talking to her but she just shuts me out…”He looked up towards the doors to the A&E and gulped; “...She’s not lying when she speaks about all the deaths in the family. This is going to be a rough night. Will you be okay?”

“I’m her mother. I have to be.” Evie said as she composed herself and gingerly rose from the chair just as Castiel reappeared with a bottle of blue Gatorade.

“Strange that there were no water coolers but an abundance of vending machines. Is everything alright?”

“I...C’mon, let’s see what the doctors say.” Evie murmured as she took a swig of the energy drink and headed towards the double doors to the bustling A&E. 

It wasn’t hard to find where the medical team had placed Diana- she was wide awake and wailing at the top of her lungs in the last bed nearest the window and all eyes were upon her as she twisted and trashed upon the gurney, terror in her eyes as she tried to rip an IV out of her arm.

“Miss, you need to calm down! We’re trying to help you-!” a nurse gasped as Diana kicked a tray of blood-taking supplies out of her hands. 

“ _ N-No! Get me out of here! Please! Please! I can’t- no! No hospitals _ !

“Sweetheart, It’s gonna be okay. I’m here.. Ssshh..” Dean said firmly as he held his daughter by the shoulders, his face crumpled with worry. But still Diana cried out in hysterics.

“ _ Nooo…!” _

Lips thinning into a hard line, Dean glared at Jack for a long minute before he released Diana and let the medical staff take over. As they rushed to sedate his daughter, Dean sat down in the corner and rubbed his chin, never taking his eyes off the Nephilim.

The minutes dragged by like hours and soon Diana’s hysterical cries had died down to soft whimpers as another IV was successfully placed, a mild sedative working its’ way through her bloodstream.

“Okay, Jack…” Dean steepled his fingers and rested his elbows on his knees; “Talk to us. Why does my daughter hate hospitals so much?”

Jack stared down at the floor and tucked his hands into his armpits.

“....She almost died the last time she was in one.” his voice was low, almost a whisper as the memory bubbled under the surface. Forcing himself to look up, Jack found himself faced with Evie, her expression hardened by worry. 

She took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

“Tell us everything.”

Jack glanced between her and Dean and sighed.

“I don’t know if I should-”

_ “Out with it already!” _ Dean snapped but was cut short by the sound of a sharp rise in the heart rate monitor as Diana tried to sit upright. Sam grabbed the remote for the bed and made his niece more comfortable, watching as she brushed the tears from her bloodshot eyes.

“ _ S-shut up, Dad...just shut up!” _ Diana croaked, voice dry from dehydration as she reached for the Gatorade Castiel offered; “Sick of you always snappin’ at Jack…”

Castiel nodded, giving Dean a reproachful look.

“Give him a chance to explain the situation please, Dean. I know you have your reservations about Jack being a Nephilim but your uncouth behavior towards him is getting rather tiresome…” 

“Diana… do you feel comfortable talking about what happened?” Jack asked as he sat on the edge of the bed, one hand resting gently on his friend’s knee. She stared at him for a moment before glancing between the four adults in the room and groaning, her head in her hands.

Dean leaned towards her, intent on helping her lie back against the pillows but she swatted him away, her words tumbling forth from her mouth like verbal diarrhea.

“I-It was less than eighteen months ago… S-should’ve been a simple escort-an’-protect mission at Fort Collins. Raiders-raiders took the rations, the hospital was under siege, Sam an’ I… we… we got separated.”Diana scrunched her eyes shut against the painful memories surging to the forefront of her mind but the spell continued to force the words out, the images burned into her memory.

“...There were hellhounds… I got cornered… no ammo left in my gun, no Sam…”Diana’s voice grew high as the tears returned and she hugged her arms around her torso; “They ripped out my guts… then I heard Sam being attacked. Last thing I remember…” she swallowed hard, her stomach in knots; 

“...Is waking up halfway through the surgery that saved my life…” 

Diana trailed off, her shoulders twitching as she struggled to hold back sobs of despair. Reaching to brush her fringe from her face, Jack cupped her face and scooted forward, holding her close.

She inhaled sharply but held tough, her arms winding around his waist as she buried her head against his chest.

Despite the A&E bustling beyond the blue curtains, this little corner was stunned into silence, Dean’s jaw slackened by what he’d heard. After an uncomfortably long minute, he slowly stepped towards the bed and placed his hand on Diana’s shoulder.

“Shit… I...I’m  _ sorry _ , Diana.”

She let out a low whimper and placed her hand upon his but still continued to cling to Jack, her breathing low and shallow as she hiccoughed.

“I wanna go home…!”

“Ssshh.” Evie stroked through her daughter’s blonde hair, careful to avoid the clumps of dried-in blood at the base of her skull. “Soon, sweetie, soon… I’ll go get someone, okay? This’ll all be over soon…”

At that, Diana looked up. The expression of pain upon her face aged her by a decade and Evie’s heart gave a terrible lurch inside her chest. Knowing that her daughter had gone through such pain, heartache and grief weighed heavily on Evie’s shoulders and she couldn’t help the sniffle that escaped her, wanting so much to stay and curl up with the teen, to protect her from further harm.

“Go. I’ll keep watch.”said Castiel, giving Evie a knowing nod.

Returning the gesture, Evie straightened and turned towards the blue curtains shielding the small corner of the A&E from prying eyes. Pulling them back, she was about to call for a doctor when she noticed one heading straight for her, his attention focused on the chart in his hands.

The tag on his blue scrubs shirt read “Dr. T. Shigeta” and he had all the makings of a frazzled doctor, his white hair a crow’s nest of curls atop his head, deep dark circles behind the wire framed glasses perched upon his nose.

“Uhh, hello?” Evie asked as he approached, causing him to jump and look up from where he’d been absorbed in his reading.

“Oh, hello there!” Dr. Shigeta gasped, dragged from his reverie as he halted before her; “Do you need some help?”

“Y-Yes…” Evie said, trying to keep her voice calm and even; “My daughter had a bad fall earlier this evenin’ and I think she’s concussed. Can you please take a look at her? We’ve been waiting a while…”

Dr. Shigeta smiled and nodded, placing the chart at the end of the bed opposite before following Evie towards where Diana lay.

As soon as the younger woman laid eyes on the doctor, the monitors connected to Diana gave several high bleeps of alarm as she recoiled from him. 

Castiel placed a hand on the small of her back, gently reassuring her.

“It’s okay, Diana. He’s here to help.”

The doctor took up the blank chart at the end of the bed.

“Hello there. I’m Dr. Shigeta, what seems to be the problem-?”

The monitors continued to bleep, Diana’s blood pressure rising. Sam and Dean exchanged worried looks but kept it together long enough for the white haired doctor to step between them and check the machines.

“Hmmm...BP is 138/90… bit higher than I’d like to see.” Dr. Shigeta mused as he recorded the readings onto the chart. Turning towards his patient, he smiled and leaned on the end of the bed. “Your mother tells me you had a little fall earlier?”

“Y-Yeah…” Diana murmured, hugging her knees to her chest; “Was huntin’ and-” she started but Sam quickly cut her off with a forced laugh, mindful of the fact that his niece was under the influence of a powerful Truth spell.

“Y-yeah, we were all on a huntin’ trip. Diana wanted to try out my shotgun but got knocked off her feet by the kickback. Hit a tree stump on the way down. Gave us all a fright!” he rambled, wide eyed with quiet panic as he stole a glance at Dean, who cleared his throat and nodded.

“Guess deer season’s over for now, heh...you a hunter, Doc?”

Dr Shigeta gave the two brother’s a searching look.

“Not particularly…”he turned towards Diana; “Diana, do you feel nauseous at all? Have you vomited at all since you’ve been here?”

Diana stared at the doctor for a long moment before swallowing back the ball of nerves that threatened to choke her. “N-No, I’m fine on that front...though my Ma’s got some wicked morning sickness goin’ on right now…”

“Sweetie, don’t worry ‘bout me. I’m fine. Let the good doctor help  _ you _ .”Evie interjected, reaching to rub Diana’s shoulders reassuringly. The monitors bleeped steadily and Diana exhaled slowly.

“Sorry, Doctor… she gets nervous around white coats.”

“It’s fine.” Dr. Shigeta said kindly, taking notes on the chart; “Okay, your BP is starting to drop to normal levels, that’s good. I’ll check again in half an hour but first I’d like to examine Diana’s head if that’s okay?”

The young woman scooted further up the bed, never taking her eyes off the doctor.

Jack patted Diana’s knee. He smiled gently and gave her a light squeeze.

“It’s going to be okay..”

Diana didn’t answer. She just continued to stare at the doctor, her eyes wide and afraid but despite her fear, she remained calm, holding still as Dr. Shigeta gingerly examined the wound at the back of her head. Fortunately, it was only a shallow cut and needed just five stitches. After another hour of routine tests to check for a concussion, the family were given the all clear to go home.

* * *

 

 

The drive back to the motel was largely silent but for the low hum of a Queen song on the radio.

Once back in the room, Diana sat on the edge of one of the beds and stared at the floor, the occasional sniffle escaping her. Unsure of how to proceed knowing what she’d been through, Dean sat down beside her and rested his hands in his lap.

“ _ Sweetheart… _ ” he started, his expression pained. Diana glanced up at him, tired but alert; “...Tell me how to make it go away. What can I do?”

She finally cracked a smile.

“That. Just asking helps.”

“I’m sorry. For everything that happened to you. I should’ve been there-”

“It’s okay… I still had Jack and Cas...but seeing that doctor was a bit jarring…”

Dean frowned. “Wait… Dr. Shigeta…?”

Diana’s lips thinned and she nodded, hitching the blankets tighter around her shoulders.

“He operated on me. You have to understand, I come from an apocalypse word. Medical supplies are a precious commodity. Despite the lack of anaesthesia, my life was in his hands. I would’ve died if he hadn’t worked on me so I don’t blame him but no joke, seeing him here....it was  _ troubling _ .”

“That must’ve been hard. Is there anything I can do to, y’know, stop you feeling trapped?” Dean wound an arm around Diana’s shoulders and she sighed, a mirthless chuckle escaping her. Glancing at her mother, who was helping Sam research the Truth spell at the nearby table, Diana inhaled sharply.

“Think you can convince Ma to get her tubes tied?”

“I beg your pardon?”Dean stared at her expectantly. 

Diana’s shoulders slumped and she closed her eyes.

“ _ Trust me.” _

Frowning, Dean was just about to question his daughter’s words when Sam cracked his knuckles loudly, causing Dean to grimace. 

“We’re outta here in the morning. Bright an’ early. If we leave before dawn, we can get to Iowa in under six hours. There’s been reports of demonic activity in Des Moines so that’s where we’re headed.” Sam said with determination in his voice.

Castiel sat on the opposite side to Diana, his expression curious.

“You seem troubled, Dean. Is everything okay?”

Dean coughed roughly.

“Fine, Cas… just a long day. I was hopin’ for a lie in.”

The angel stared at him, blue eyes meeting green. 

“Dean…”

Dean cleared his throat and rubbed Diana’s back comfortingly as he forced himself to smile.

“Uhmm… you can bed down with Jack if you want, Sweetheart. Sorry I was such an ass…”

Diana smiled and leaned into his touch.

 

_ “Wouldn’t have you any other way.” _

* * *

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the long lull in updates but life has gotten busy and my health hasn't been the best. Still, I try. A shorter chapter than usual but an important one, methinks.  
> Enjoy.
> 
> -SARAH

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

 

_ Blood. _

_ So much blood. _

_ Gallons of it staining emerald green tiles. Diana tried to scream but no sound escaped her, the shock of the sight before her robbing her voice. Rooted to the spot, she could do nothing but watch on helpless as the blood reached her bare feet, staining them an ugly maroon. _

_ She wanted to call out for someone-anyone- but her eyes could not be torn away from the naked woman sprawled on the tiles of the bathroom floor, motionless and white. _

_ A fluttering of wings, cold air enveloped her as Castiel cradled her in his arms. _

_ “Oh no. Oh God, no…!” in the distance, Diana could just make out the sound of her father’s voice screaming, far away and muffled. A pair of strong arms enveloped her and shielded her from the bloody mess but it was too late. _

_ Though Diana tried to turn away, the image remained scarred upon her memory. _

_ “Diana...Diana!” _

 

“Diana!”

She woke with a jolt, feeling warm hands envelope her. 

“J-Jack?!”

“I’m here, I’m here. Shh. You were having a nightmare.”

Diana squinted in the darkness, her vision blurry and unfocused. There was a click and the bedside lamp flooded the room with a dim orange glow. Jack lay on his side, his face a vision of worry. A slight whimper escaped Diana and she flopped back against the hard mattress, rubbing her temples as she tried to erase the horrific vision from her memory.

“Do you want to talk abo-” Jack started but Diana shook her head furiously, curling inward and pulling him towards her. She clung tightly to him, burying her face in his chest as she struggled to hold back tears.

Jack knew not to press the subject, figuring she’d had enough trauma for one night and so they lay spooning under the thin, itchy blankets until the sun came up.

As he gently soothed Diana with light strokes of her arm, a rustle of blankets nearby alerted him to the sound of Evie untangling herself from the other bed, her face tinged green with nausea as she swung her legs to the edge of the mattress and perched for a long moment.

“Morning.” Jack said quietly as he watched the brunette woman rub her sternum against the rise of acid in her throat.

“You two look cosy…” Evie said with a grimace as she slowly stood and pulled a blanket around her shoulders. Glancing at her teenage daughter, she chuckled weakly despite the discomfort and patted her stomach, shaking her head; “I have my work cut out for me with this one...she keeps using my bladder for a squeeze toy!”

Jack smiled weakly.

“How are you feeling otherwise?”

“Like hammered shit. Haven’t felt this sick since the first time I tried drinkin’ Buckfast. It’s so weird... I usually love Dean's aftershave…”Evie glanced behind her: Dean and Sam were passed out on the bed snoring soundly whilst Castiel dozed lightly in a nearby chair; “...but right now he smells like pure gasoline...I-Is that normal?”

“No idea, Evie. I don’t really know a lot about pregnancy save for the obvious stuff.” Jack sat upright, careful not to jostle Diana, who had fallen into an exhausted slumber minutes prior. Slowly, he swung his legs around and mirrored Evie’s stance, watching as she held a hand to her mouth and tried her damndest to keep from retching.

“You okay?”

“Urrgh. Be right back…!” Evie rushed towards the ensuite and slammed the door behind her.

The sound of vomiting reached Jack’s ears and he frowned, lingering at the bathroom to come to Evie’s aid if needed. The sound of the shower clunking to life made him sit back on the bed and he sighed, glancing down at Diana who continued to sleep curled in on herself, a grimace upon her face. He had been quietly monitoring her all night, reaching past the barricades to feel the pain etched on her mind, sharing in the horrors of her past as he sought to heal her with his grace.

A deep sigh escaped him and he scraped his hands down his face feeling fatigue weigh heavily on his shoulders.

“Good morning, Jack.” Castiel stretched cat-like in his chair, his limbs creaking as he gave a calm smile to the Nephilim; “Did you sleep at all?”

“Not really…” Jack knew Castiel could see through his poker face so he didn’t bother to use it; “Last night unlocked some painful memories for both of us. I only hope the light at the end of this seemingly endless dark tunnel isn’t that of an oncoming train…”

“Interesting choice of words. I could feel you trying to soothe her.” Castiel glanced at the sleeping blonde and his blue eyes grew troubled; “She carries a great deal of pain in her soul.”

Jack nodded; “We need to break the spell before she remembers too much. Sam mentioned something about seven seals… I think the spell breaks down mental blocks and amplifies trauma.”

“It can be broken by true love’s kiss according to Sam…”

At that, a hot blush spread across Jack’s face like wildfire and he turned away from the angel’s steely gaze, clearing his throat awkwardly. “I...I’m not sure Dean would appreciate that line of action, Castiel…”

A low chuckle rumbled in Castiel’s throat. “Let me handle Dean. I can be very persuasive when the time calls for it. Besides, I think he’s warming to you. He had no qualms about you sharing a bed with Diana last night…”

“I guess…” Jack ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the sleeping form of Dean. “He’s not the man I grew up with, though. In my world, sure, he’d have no qualms about me…” the Nephilim fumbled the words, blush intensifying; “... _ K-Kissing _ his daughter but here? I’d bet good money on being threatened with a shotgun to the groin…”

Castiel moved to respond when the bathroom door swung open and Evie lurched out clad in jean shorts and one of Sam’s flannel shirts  using a towel to rub the water from her hair. She grinned awkwardly and sank into the nearest chair, toes flexing on the rug.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but I _ really _ need some fried chicken right about now...can we go on a food run?”

Jack stared at her, blinking in confusion.

“ _ Seriously? _ You just threw up-!”

“I know, it’s a weird feeling…” Evie said as she twisted her hair into a messy bun; “...But if Baby Deedee wants hot wings, who am I to argue?”

Castiel stepped forward and gave Jack a knowing look.

“I’ll go. I think I spotted a KFC a few miles back. Would you like anything specific?”

“Just get me the biggest, greasiest bucket of chicken in Nebraska. Jack, you want anything?”

The Nephilim shrugged, bewildered.

“Uhmm…whatever you’re having, I guess…”

“Would you like to come with me, Everlyn? I think some fresh air would do wonders for any residual nausea.”

Reaching for her sneakers, Evie nodded and quickly laced them up.

“Sounds like a plan.” Standing up, she smoothed down her shirt and took Castiel’s outstretched hand. “Won’t be long!”

At that, Castiel glanced between Jack and Diana and gave the younger man a silent nod. With a flutter of wings and a flash of blue light, he and Evie disappeared in search of food, the motel now falling still save for the snoring of Dean and Sam and the shallow breathing of Diana.

Jack shook his head and sat down on the bed. 

The shift in the mattress was enough to rouse Diana from her sleep and she sat up slowly, peering at him with bleary eyes that were rimmed with red.

“Hi.” Jack whispered; “Feeling okay?”

Diana licked her bottom lip and shook her head slowly.

“I need a distraction…”she rubbed her temples; “...It’s dark in here, Jack.”

Inhaling sharply, Jack considered what Castiel had told him.  _ True love’s kiss. _ Swallowing back the ball of nerves that had begun to clump in his throat, he scooted an inch closer to his friend and took her hand in his.

“Diana. Listen to me.” he kept his voice low, mindful of the two sleeping hunters in the opposite bed; “There’s a way to break this spell but only if you want to-”

“I get it, Jack.” Diana swept her fringe off her face and gave him a shy smile as she gave his hand a squeeze; “Sleeping Beauty clause, right? You have to kiss me…”

“Uh-uhm, yes...but… do you...  _ want  _ me to kiss you-?”

His words trailed off when he realised she had shifted closer, her bare knee touching his as she leaned forward and cupped his cheek. Closing her eyes, Diana moved to close the gap between them but just as her lips looked set to touch his, a low snort from the other bed made her jump.

Sam had turned over in his sleep and was now snoring even louder than before.

_ “J-Jack…” _

“It’s okay, Dee…”Jack ran his hand up her forearm and gently cupped her head. She whimpered softly as his fingers ghosted over the five stitches in her scalp but her gaze never left his.

Though he had often dreamed of kissing her, the nervous teenager was acutely aware of the fact that Dean was sleeping just feet away. Despite the nerves knotting in his stomach, Jack powered through and placed a soft, hesitant kiss upon Diana’s lips.

“D-Dee…”Jack managed to break the cinch just enough to take hold of her wrists, his expression troubled;  “D-Diana, I...are you okay?”

“Y-yeah...Why’d you stop?”

Jack chuckled despite his nerves and jerked his head towards the bed under the window.

“We..uhhh… don’t have a lot of privacy…”

She scrunched her eyes shut and gritted her teeth in annoyance. 

“ _ Sonofabitch… _ !” 

There was a grunt from nearby and Dean slowly rose, startling them both. Blinking against the morning light, Dean glanced around in a mildly disorientated state. Confused, he ran his fingers along the space where Evie had once slept and frowned.

“Everlyn…?”

“G-Gone on a food run with Castiel. S-She’ll be back shortly.” Jack stood up sharply and raced towards the kitchenette, unable to look the eldest Hunter in the eye. His cheeks were burning and he felt butterflies dance in the pit of his stomach as he tried his damndest not to linger on the thought of Diana’s lips on his.

“Oh? They been gone long?” Dean asked as he rubbed crud from his eyes, failing to stifle a yawn.

“T-they literally just left. Evie was having cravings for chicken-”

“Better not bring back those damn wings of death.” Dean chuckled as the memory flitted through his head; “As thankful as I am for them bringin’ me an’ Cas together, I don’t think my wife’d appreciate going into early labour…”

Jack shrugged and kept his head down, diverting his gaze to the news articles open on Sam’s laptop. He coughed awkwardly and pretended to be enthralled by the news but all the while, his skin prickled with fear and anxiety.

“Jack… I.. uh...I need to have a talk with you…” Dean’s voice was croaky from sleep. Standing, he pulled his jeans on and padded barefoot towards the kitchenette, taking to brewing up a cup of weak coffee. 

“Sweetheart, can you give us a minute?”

Diana cocked her head to one side, confused. “Uhhh…”

“Guy talk. Go, have a shower or something…” Dean cleared his throat and took a hasty sip of coffee. 

Diana blinked at him but didn’t press the subject and did as he asked, retreating to the privacy of the bathroom with confusion swirling in her mind. Inhaling sharply, she shook her head and grabbed the little packet containing a complimentary motel shower cap. Whatever it was that her father wanted to talk  about, Jack would no doubt fill her in eventually…

“You want some coffee? Or are you a tea guy like Cas?” Dean asked when the sound of the shower’s creaky plumbing was in full swing. 

“I’m fine for now, Dean, thank you. What is it you wanted to talk about?”

Dean scrubbed a hand down his jaw feeling nearly three days worth of stubble and he sighed deeply.

“For what I did in the hospital, I’m sorry. I had no right to demand you to relive your traumas... _ both _ of you.” He glanced briefly at the bathroom door and shifted his stance to lean against the counter.

“You two have been through hell and back by the sound of things and I... _ I’m sorry _ . I’m so goddamn sorry you had to go through all that death and chaos, all that agony alone. If I’d known what kind of wounds I was forcing you to reopen...Jack, I just wanted to apologize, okay?” Dean placed his coffee cup in the sink and sat down next to the younger man.

He placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I get it now. You and Diana...you  _ need  _ each other.”

Jack frowned slightly. “Dean…?”

Dean gave a slight smile. “You love each other. It’s as clear as day… and I’m not gonna stand in the way of it anymore.”

Jack’s eyes widened and his ears turned pink.

“Uhh, D-Dean, I-”

“Relax, kiddo. I’m just sayin’ you’ve got my blessing if you wanna take things further with her. All I ask is you be the kind of man I know you can be. Treat her right. You break her heart, I’ll break your legs.” Dean sniffed and folded his arms, a sly grin spreading across his face. 

“Anyhow...I think that Truth spell is still in effect and since it’s a Sleeping Beauty stroke-of-midnight deal...you gotta pucker up.”

Trying hard not to show his discomfort by cringing, Jack silently willed the universe to provide a distraction from the expectant stare Dean was shooting in his direction. Sure enough, there was a low groan followed by a grunt as Sam emerged from an awkward sleep. Sitting upright, he grimaced as he stretched, his spine cracking loudly with his movements.

“Coffee, Sammy?” Dean asked as he went to grab a fresh mug.

The younger Winchester brother nodded and rubbed his neck, glaring at the flat pillow behind him. “Sounds good…. Uhh, where’s-?”

“Food run. Evie wanted fried chicken for breakfast…”

“I swear to God, am I the  _ only _ one who cares about proper nutrition in this household?” Sam grumbled as he tugged on jeans and a vest.

“Trust me Sam, after last night, I’m quitin’ the nitrates. Might even go part time vegan…!”

Sam arched an eyebrow, giving his brother a quick once over.

“...Where’s the holy water?”

Dean’s grin grew wider. He was about to make a witty retort when the sound of fluttering feathers at the motel door grew louder, alerting him to the arrival of his wife and lover. The benefit of the thin wood meant that everyone else was privy to Evie’s outraged grumbles.

“...No sushi for nine months?!  _ That’s bullshit! _ ”

“I’m sorry, Everlyn, but according to  _ What to Expect When You’re Expecting _ , the high levels of mercury along with the dubious nature of many uncooked seafood products makes sushi a food to avoid for the sake of healthy foetal development.”

“B-But that little Japanese restaurant looked so inviting!”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Everlyn, but you will need to overhaul your diet in the coming months.”

“As long as I can eat my spicy Zinger wings in peace…”

With a twist of the door knob, Castiel let her into the room, his other arm clutching a gigantic grease-smeared bag of KFC. 

“Well, actually-”

“Say nothing, Castiel!” Evie snapped as she took the bag from him and zipped towards the kitchenette. Hopping up on the counter, she ignored everyone else in the room in favour of digging into some chicken strips. 

Dean chuckled softly and reached to grab some food but she growled and snatched the bag away, a haughty glare upon her face.

“C’mon, baby, sharing is caring!”

“Nooo, my chicken! Mine! Besides…” Evie swallowed and licked BBQ sauce from her top lip; “...Thought you hated spicy chicken?”

“What?! Never!” Dean replied in mock-horror, grinning at Castiel; “Lotta good memories-”

“Yeah, yeah, you an’ Cas had your first kiss over some hot wings. Big whoop. Still not giving you any.”

Sam shook his head.

“Dean, I wouldn’t mess with her… pregnant women can be  _ scary _ .”

Castiel nodded.

“Indeed. We passed by a quaint looking Japanese bistro whilst out and she burst into tears when I told her that the majority of raw seafood was off-limits. Then she demanded to see who set the rule and...well, I think she broke my phone…”

Looking up from her feverish eating, Evie smiled sheepishly.

“Yeah, sorry about that, Cas. Guess the hormones are kickin’ in, huh?”

The angel smiled in spite of himself.

“That’s not much of an excuse for smashing my property, Everlyn. Still, you’re new to this so I’ll let it go for now.” He turned to Jack and glanced over the Nephilim’s shoulder to see several tabs of news articles open on Sam’s laptop screen.

“Anything worth pursuing, Jack?”

Jack squinted at the headlines before him.

“According to several reports, there’s been talk of multiple murders in Des Moines. Seven victims, all teenagers ranging in age from fifteen to seventeen. My gut says vampires but it could also be demonic in nature. People are scared shitless.” He clicked on the trackpad and switched to another tab, a furrow appearing in his brow.

“Hmm…”

Sam joined Castiel in peering at the screen.

“What is it?”

“The last murder took place two miles east of Roosevelt High School...after a pre-prom mixer.”Jack rubbed his jaw and exhaled deeply. “Despite the high security alert, they’re still going through with the homecoming dance as an act of defiance…I don’t like it but if we play it right, we could lure the suspect into a trap.”

“I thought you were against bait and switches!” Diana snapped, poking her towel-covered head out of the bathroom door, steam billowing around her. She glanced at the adults in the room.

“Please tell me we’re not doing what I think we’re doing-!”

“Well…” Dean rocked on his heels, rubbing his hands together with a grin; “...Looks like the Winchesters are goin’ to Prom!”

  
  


**Meanwhile in Washington DC…**

 

Steepling his fingers, President Jefferson Rooney rested his chin atop his hands as he headed the table of yet another disciplinary meeting. The Secretary of Defence was close to tearing out the last of his hair as he tried to scrub several late night tweets from the President’s official Twitter feed, the dozen other people frantically running interference on their high powered laptops.

All around him, the room was a cacophony of angry voices against blaring telephone calls, the many monitors on the wall showing a dizzying array of news articles denouncing his latest “provocation” of the North Korean leader, press junkets calling for impeachment, world leaders trading terse barbs via Skype and all manner of barely organized chaos as the world began to teether towards outright war.

 

Yet despite the mayhem, President Rooney sat quietly, soaking up the discord he had created.

 

A broad smirk crossed his face.

 

_ Soon… _

 

* * *

 


End file.
